


Miraculous: Tales of Captain Turtle and Honeybee

by ghostlyhamburger



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Power Swap, F/M, Gen, Kwami Swap, Podfic Welcome, everyone has a brain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 54,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlyhamburger/pseuds/ghostlyhamburger
Summary: When Hawkmoth begins to terrorize Paris, the Guardian of the Miraculous must choose the proper miraculouses to fight him. But what if he didn't start with the most powerful ones right away? A kwami swap AU.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 281
Kudos: 279





	1. Origins

“Master!” Wayzz called, zipping through the air to find his owner, Master Fu. “Master! I feel Nooroo’s presence!”

Master Fu was sitting in his kitchen, calmly sipping tea, which he inhaled immediately on hearing the small kwami’s announcement.

Wayzz stopped just a few inches from Fu’s face, the turtle-like being catching his breath before continuing, “Nooroo is active. But I feel there is a darkness surrounding him—some sort of malicious aura…”

“The jewel must have fallen into the wrong hands,” Fu said, idly stroking his beard as he thought. “It is as I feared. I must find some worthy heroes to bring it back!”

He stood and walked to the large ornate gramophone he kept in his small apartment. With the press of a few hidden buttons, the base opened, revealing an octagonal decorative box. He opened the lid and reached for a pair of earrings resting in the center.

“Master, no!” Wayzz cried, darting between him and the box. “You mustn’t!”

“If the Butterfly miraculous is being used with ill intent, the Ladybug is the only one that can stop it!” Master Fu said. “What would you have me do?”

“The Ladybug _isn’t_ the only one,” Wayzz replied. “ _I_ can purify the Butterfly as well.”

Fu frowned, his gaze going to the bracelet that always rested on his wrist. “I don’t know…”

“Master, you must let me go,” the kwami insisted. “You know as well as I do that the Ladybug and the Cat are too powerful to be used unless there is no choice.”

Fu sighed, finally pulling his hand back. Wayzz was right—while the Ladybug and Cat were powerful miraculouses, they were far from the only ones. Each of the five miraculouses tiered beneath them had their own form of balance—each purified one of the others. The Turtle was the balance for the Butterfly.

“You are right, of course,” he admitted with a sigh. “I will miss you, old friend.”

“I will miss you as well,” Wayzz replied, smiling warmly. “It would be best if my new owner had a partner in the battlefield, I believe.”

“Yes, yes,” Fu agreed. He plucked a small comb from the box, quickly dropping it into a smaller box that he tucked in his pocket.

“The Bee?”

“The only other missing miraculous is the Peacock,” Fu explained. “The Bee is its counter. Now, Wayzz—goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Master Fu.”

**

Marinette Dupain-Cheng overslept. On her first day of school. That did not bode well.

She raced downstairs, ate a quick breakfast, and grabbed a box of macarons from her father before rushing out the door. Luckily, she only had to cross the street before she made it to school, so she was _probably_ not going to be late.

She stepped foot in the crosswalk at the same time as the rest of the pedestrians, mindlessly making their way through the city. On the other side of the intersection, though, a car was busy speeding past the red light.

How was she the only one to notice this? “Everyone, look out!” she cried at the top of her lungs, pushing back against the crowd to get out of the way of the car. An old man tripped as the crowd parted, surging back towards the sidewalk, and Marinette didn’t hesitate to help him up and out of the way.

“My thanks,” he said, righting himself on the sidewalk again. “You are a truly brave girl.”

She shook her head. “Anyone would’ve done that if they’d noticed.”

“But only _you_ did,” he replied. He leaned down and gently grabbed her discarded box of macarons. “Have a nice day, my dear.”

As Marinette ran towards the school, she didn’t notice the runaway car disappearing into nothingness halfway down the street, or the crowd going up in smoke. She didn’t notice the old man hold onto a necklace he wore under his shirt as he watched after her.

**

Marinette skidded into the classroom just moments before the bell rang. She took her normal seat at her desk, trying her best to catch her breath, when a certain blonde annoyance approached her.

“Uh, that’s _my_ seat,” Chloe Bourgeouis said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“Chloe,” Marinette groaned, “this has been my seat for the past three years. Why should I change now?”

“Because _Adrien_ is coming to school now, and that’s going to be _his_ seat, so this is _my_ seat,” Chloe said, as if it were obvious. “So move. You can go sit next to the new girl.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, but gathered up her things. As she grabbed her box of mostly intact macarons, she smiled to herself. Instead of going straight to the other seat, she walked around the classroom, handing cookies to her old friends, chatting to them about their summers, and finally sliding into the seat beside the new girl.

“Hi, I’m Marinette,” she said. “Do you want the _very last cookie_? I don’t have enough for everyone so _certain people_ are going to get left out this year.”

Chloe grumbled under her breath as Sabrina desperately tried to distract her with a glossy magazine.

“Thanks,” the new girl said, taking the cookie. “I’m Alya. You seem pretty cool, Marinette.”

“I’m really not,” she replied with a shy smile. “But it’s nice to meet you.”

**

Adrien Agreste was _determined_ to go to school. He’d filed all the paperwork with the help of Chloe, he’d snuck out of his house early that morning to make it on time—he was going to finally be a _normal_ teenager.

As he ran up the stairs leading to the school, he noticed an old man struggling with a cane, also making his way up the steps. The cane slid off the edge of one step, and the man started to fall backwards.

Without even thinking, Adrien dashed over to catch him. He was half a second too late, and ended up falling with the man—but at least he’d cushioned the stranger’s fall.

“Thank you, young man!” he cried as he shakily stood.

“No problem,” Adrien said as he stood. He winced as a pain stabbed him in the side. That was definitely going to bruise later.

“ _Adrien Agreste!_ ”

Adrien turned to see his bodyguard and his father’s secretary walking towards him. “Uh, hey, Nathalie.”

“You _know_ your father doesn’t want you going to school,” Nathalie said. “You haven’t even gotten into the building and you’re already hurt!”

“I just want to be _normal_!” Adrien argued. “What’s wrong with that?”

She sighed, and pursed her lips before giving him a stern look. “Get in the car now, and I _won’t_ tell your father about your fall.”

He groaned, but walked towards the car, realizing that was the best he’d get for the time being.

**

The school day went on as normal for Marinette. She got along well with Alya, instantly growing to like the new girl.

But then, right before PE started, the school abruptly shut down due to a _monster_ attacking. Marinette rushed straight home, unsure of what to do besides hunker down and be safe.

She noticed a small box on her desk in her bedroom, something that was very much not there this morning. Curiously, she opened it, then reeled back as a bright light shone from within.

“Greetings, My Queen!”

Marinette screamed. “Bee!” she yelped, scurrying up to her bed. “Get away!”

The bee-like thing chuckled. “I’m a kwami, not a bee. And I am here to help you!”

“Help me _how?_ ”

“With that!” the kwami buzzed happily, pointing out the window at the large rock monster in the distance. “We’re going to take it down with the help of your partner!”

“My partner?” Marinette asked, confused but relaxing slightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That’s all right,” the kwami said. “Let me start from the beginning. My name is Pollen.”

**

Not too far away, Adrien had discovered a box on his desk. He opened it to a flash of light and a small turtle-like creature floating before him.

“Greetings,” it said. “I am Wayzz.”

“ _Cool_ ,” Adrien replied with a grin, poking at the small creature. “So—what are you?” 

“I am a kwami,” Wayzz said. “I grant you the power of the Turtle , so you can stop the harm being caused by the Butterfly.”

Adrien sat at his desk, staring at the kwami intently. “Tell me _everything_.”

**

Marinette fixed the comb in her hair, the metal turning rose gold as the bee symbol became more stylized, looking as though it was drawn with calligraphy ink. “Pollen, buzz on!”

Yellow light washed over her as her outfit changed. She wore a yellow outfit tightly covering her whole body, with black boots, gloves, and collar. A black stripe wound in a spiral around her waist and down one leg. On closer inspection, she found the fabric of the outfit was something she’d never seen before, some form of elastic armor made up of small honeycomb-shaped sections. A black domino mask sat on her face, and her hair had bleached yellow stripes in it, winding around her pigtails. Her eyes were a deeper blue than normal, almost glowing.

“This is _cool_ ,” she murmured, admiring herself for a moment before the news feed on her computer caught her attention, and she ran out to her balcony. “Okay…I can do this.”

With a deep breath, she threw the trompo at her hip out to the next building and let the string of the top yank her along, a feeling almost like flying. She tried not to be too giddy at the feeling—there was a supervillain to fight!

**

“Wayzz, shell on!”

Adrien couldn’t help but check himself out in the mirror after transforming. He wore a green jumpsuit over his body, mottled shades of green creating a subtle tortoiseshell pattern. A green shell-shaped shield sat securely on his back, and an orange bandana wrapped around his face as a mask. His hair was uncovered, but had turned a bright green, the kind of color his father would have _never_ allowed him to dye it.

“Sweet,” Adrien murmured. A loud crash from outside caught his attention, and he ran to his window, opening it and leaping out. He tucked and rolled when he landed on the ground, breathing a small sigh of relief when he realized he was uninjured. Somehow, the suit was giving him the instincts he needed to run fast, leap high up buildings, and jump down without hurting himself.

As he ran, he couldn’t help but see the large stone giant in the distance, picking up cars and throwing them as it angrily yelled. He jumped from building to building as he neared the monster, stopping only when he saw a girl in yellow and black gliding towards him.

“Hey!” he called to her with a wave. “Over here!”

She perched down on the rooftop beside him. “Hi! You’re my partner, right?”

“Yeah,” Adrien said, grinning. “Is this cool or what?”

“That’s…one word for it,” she said with a nervous smile. “I’m Honeybee.”

“Cute name,” he said, not noticing the way her cheeks went pink at the compliment. “I’m…I don’t know yet. Call me Tortue for now.”

Honeybee glanced out towards the giant. “So, how do we stop this thing? I can freeze people if I sting them, but if he’s made of rock…”

“I can summon a shield,” Adrien said with a shrug. “I guess we’ll figure it out? Apparently I’m the only one who can put everything back to normal…”

“We’ll figure it out,” she said, confidence in her voice. “I know we just met, but I trust you.”

The two leapt across rooftops until they reached the stone monster, who was batting away bullets from the gathered police. Adrien was able to see that each bullet made the giant just a little larger. “They need to stop shooting at him,” he muttered. “It’s making it worse.”

Honeybee nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll get their attention—can you bring _him_ to somewhere more deserted? Maybe the stadium?”

Adrien frowned. “You might be cute, but I don’t think you’re bulletproof. Let me help you out.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close before holding up his shield and crying out, “Shellter!”

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat at the sudden closeness, at the feeling of his arm strong around her waist, the warmth of his breath on her cheek, the pink softness of his lips, the brilliant green of his eyes on her…she blinked, trying to get her head on straight. Marinette’s feelings could wait—the city needed Honeybee right now.

Tortue carried her down between the stone monster and the police, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off the green forcefield he’d created around them. “I need to go recharge,” he murmured quietly to her. “My kwami—”

“I know,” she replied. “I got the same lecture. Go, I’ll meet back up with you.”

The bullets stopped, and Tortue dropped the shield so Honeybee could step forward and talk to the police.

“Stop shooting!” she cried. “You’re making it worse! We’re the superheroes, and we’re going to fix this!”

The police chief started laughing, and the rest of the squad joined in. Honeybee just rolled her eyes before turning back to the monster.

“What are you looking for, big guy?”

“KIM!” the monster roared.

“Oh, him?” she said with a coy grin. “He’s at the stadium! I’ll take you to him!” She threw her trompo, ready to fly off, but first shouted back at the police, “Don’t follow me! I’ve got this!”

She raced through Paris to the large stadium, the rock monster following close behind her. She didn’t notice on the ground, a blond boy watching her intently as a small floating green kwami nibbled on a piece of lettuce.

“Is she going to be all right?” Adrien asked Wayzz.

“She should be,” he replied, swallowing the last of his food. “But we should get back to her.”

**

Honeybee perched herself on the top ledge of the stadium, watching as the rock monster broke through one of the walls, calling out again, “KIM!”

She saw two smaller flashes of movement on the ground, one green, one orange-brown. She recognized Tortue, but who was the other one?

Honeybee leapt to the ground in front of the second blur, suddenly recognizing her as her new friend Alya. “You can’t be here!” she cried.

“Why not?” Alya asked. “I want to be the first one getting the photos of your heroic fight!”

Honeybee frowned. “Even if you get hurt? That’s a literal _rock golem giant_ right there and we’re still trying to figure it out! I don’t want to be responsible for you _dying!_ ”

Alya just gave a sheepish grin and said, “Okay, okay. I’ll go. But, can I interview you afterwards? Please?”

“If there’s time, sure,” Honeybee replied, distracted as Tortue ran past her. “I have to go!”

She swung over to land beside her partner, who glanced at her with a grin. “Hello again, cute girl.”

“H-hey, Tortue,” she replied, trying to sound normal. “We’ve got him here, now what?”

“Now—maybe Tortue isn’t a great name after all,” he mused. “Let’s try—uh—Shellshock!”

“Okay, _Shellshock_ ,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Giant stone monster?”

“Something my kwami pointed out to me,” Shellshock said, nodding towards the monster. “His hand is clenched around something. That might be where the, um—akona? Akima? I can’t remember what he called it, but that’s where it probably is.”

“So we make him let go.” Honeybee darted out towards the giant monster, calling out, “Venom!”

Shellshock watched, cringing slightly as he watched his partner’s trompo bounce harmlessly off the stone.

The stone monster picked her up, looking at her curiously. She gave him a sly grin before calling down, “Get him to grab you! He only has so many hands!”

Shellshock raced forward, realizing that this crazy girl might just be the death of him. As Honeybee had predicted, the monster grabbed him with his other hand.

“Shellter!” he cried, the force field pushing open the monster’s fist, letting Shellshock and a small purple rock fall to the ground.

“You got it!” Honeybee called cheerfully.

He stomped down on the rock, cracking it open and releasing a purple-black butterfly that started to fly away. “No you don’t!” Shellshock cried, hurling his shield towards the butterfly, catching it in the air and pulling the dark energy from it, leaving a plain white butterfly flittering in the sky.

Shellshock caught the shield as the rock monster turned back into a teenage boy. Honeybee fell down, throwing out her trompo to catch herself before hitting the ground.

“Miracle Turtle!” he cried, tossing the shield in the air. A ring of green light appeared around him and slowly spread outwards, meticulously repairing all the damage the rock monster caused as it went.

“That was _amazing!_ ” Alya cried, running out of her hiding space to greet the heroes on the field. “You two are so cool! And you! Boy from my class! Why did you go all crazy rock monster?”

“Wh-what are you talking about?” the boy asked, confusion clear on his face.

Honeybee darted towards the boy, kneeling beside him and talking to him in a soft voice, comforting him. Meanwhile, Shellshock turned to Alya. “I don’t think he was doing any of that on purpose.”

“Then what _was_ happening?” Alya said. She had her phone in her hands, recording the whole conversation.

“I’m not sure,” he replied. “It seems like something preyed on his emotions to make him into a monster, but we got it. Everything should be safe now.”

“Awesome! And what’s your name, turtle boy?”

He hesitated, the name Shellshock suddenly falling short for him. He smiled widely as a thought struck him. “Call me Captain Turtle! And my partner over there is the lovely Honeybee! But now, I’ve gotta get out of here. Stay safe, citizen!”

He leapt away, leaving Alya behind to walk towards Honeybee and the boy, still recording as she said, “There you have it, folks! New heroes in Paris, ready to stop whatever evil lurks out there! Captain Turtle and Honeybee! And _damn_ , that boy looks good in green, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Honeybee murmured, staring out at the sky where Captain Turtle had leapt away, a dreamy smile on her face. She quickly shook her head back to reality and gave Alya a sheepish smile. “Uh—you wouldn’t mind not putting that on the internet, would you?”

Alya just laughed. “Don’t worry, girl, I’ll cut it. Can you stick around for an interview, though?”

Honeybee’s comb suddenly began to beep, and her eyes widened. “Sorry, no, I’ve got to get going! Take care of Ivan for me, will you?”

“I can take care of myself,” the boy, Ivan, grumbled as Honeybee swung away. “And I’m not talking to _you_ either.”

Alya shut off her phone and put it in her pocket. “Okay,” she said with a warm smile. “But everything’s off the record now—looks like you just need a friend.”

**

Luckily, Adrien made it back to his bedroom before anyone noticed he was gone. When he dropped his transformation, Wayzz happily zipped around the room as he collapsed onto his bed.

“That was exhilarating!” the kwami cried. “My powers haven’t been used for fifty years! Oh, I forgot how _exciting_ the feel of battle is!”

Adrien chuckled. “So, now what? Now that it’s over?”

“Keep wearing that bracelet,” Wayzz said, pointing to the miraculous jewel on his wrist. “That lets me stay out and talk to you, and you _must_ wear it when you transform.”

“Wait, that wasn’t the only time?”

The kwami’s face fell, and he settled into a lotus position as he floated in front of Adrien’s face. “I’m afraid not. The akuma was the work of the Butterfly miraculous, and you _must_ keep fighting any akumas that appear until the miraculous can be recovered and returned to the Guardian.”

“The Guardian?” Adrien asked, his brow furrowing.

Wayzz sighed. “I’m sorry, young hatchling, but I cannot allow you to know too much. Knowledge is quite dangerous when there are those who would kill to possess it. I promise you, everything I know will be passed to you in time, as long as you trust me to know what time.”

Adrien frowned. “I really don’t like being left out of things. It’s bad enough when my father or Nathalie does it…”

Wayzz floated forward and gently tilted his head against his young owner’s. “I understand, but turtles are quite patient. The time will pass before you know it.”

**

Marinette detransformed as soon as she hit her balcony, then went inside and screamed into a pillow. “Ugh, this is a disaster!”

“What’s wrong?” Pollen, her kwami, asked her, floating beside her head. “I thought you were marvelous!”

“I’m glad we won,” Marinette replied, “but why does my partner have to be _him_?”

“It seemed like you liked him very much!”

“I do,” she groaned, pulling the pillow over her head. “Too much! Pollen, how am I going to be a worthy superhero when I’ve got a stupid _crush_ on my partner?”

Pollen laughed, a bright, airy sound. “Oh, my Queen! I have _so_ much experience in impressing and attracting others—you will be the _most_ talented heroine, and sure to catch his eye!”

Marinette just sighed, rolling to lie on her back. “He called me cute…I don’t even know his name but _he called me cute!_ ”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Pollen asked, spinning happily in the air. “Young love is the best kind!”

“Yeah,” she said. “Oh, and—thank you, Pollen. I don’t know if I’d be able to handle this if I couldn’t talk to you.”

“It has been _centuries_ since I’ve had a worthy Queen,” the kwami replied. “You will be the greatest of them all!”


	2. Origins Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the first akuma easily handled, how will Hawkmoth gain the attention of the miraculous holders now?

Adrien’s plan for sneaking out to attend school was different the second try. Instead of rushing in and assuming he’d be safe once on school grounds, he left his home early and headed for a building _near_ the school.

Wayzz had told him that turtles were patient. He figured if he just waited out the inevitable search party, he could have an uninterrupted day at school and not deal with the consequences until he was done.

So Adrien chose to enter a bakery across the street from the school building. It was bustling, warm, and smelled delicious. He tried to blend in with the crowd, make himself unnoticed, until the Chinese woman behind the counter asked, “And how can I help you?”

“S-sorry, no, I’m just waiting until I can go to school,” he said with an apologetic smile.

The woman’s face brightened. “Oh, then you must be one of Marinette’s friends! She’ll be down in a moment if you want to walk over together.”

He tried to protest, point out that he didn’t even know a Marinette, but the next person in line pushed past him and placed an order for a large cake.

Adrien shrank back, pressing himself against a bit of empty wall, when suddenly a large hand—almost as large as his bodyguard’s—clapped onto his shoulder. He tried not to let his face betray his fear as he looked up to find a smiling face looking down at him. “Morning, son!” a mustached man said, holding out a bag. “Fresh croissants, on the house for any friend of Marinette’s.”

“I don’t—” he tried to say, but his stomach rumbled loudly, and the man pressed the bag into his hands before turning and walking away.

Adrien cautiously opened it, and took a bite of a croissant. It was buttery, flaky, and the most amazing thing he’d ever tasted. He pinched off a small amount and tucked it into his bookbag for Wayzz to try.

He managed to relax, just people watching as he ate. That lasted until a girl about his age emerged from the back of the bakery. “I’m going to school!” she called to the people behind the counter, presumably her parents.

“Wait, take your friend with you!” the woman cried, gesturing towards Adrien. He had half a croissant in his mouth, but quickly swallowed it before giving a sheepish grin.

The girl’s eyes narrowed, but she just said to him, “Come on.” He followed her outside, and once they were out of sight of the bakery doors, she whirled towards him and asked, “So, what, did _Chloe_ send you?”

“Chloe?” Adrien asked. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to lie to your, uh, parents, I just—I couldn’t—I just needed a place to hide until school started.”

The girl’s face just grew more suspicious. “Hide? Why?”

“Well, my father doesn’t really want me going to school,” he muttered, glancing down at the ground. “My friend helped me fill out the forms, but if my father’s secretary or my bodyguard finds me before the day starts, they’ll just make me stay home.”

Her gaze softened. “Oh. That’s—you just want to go to school? Really?”

He nodded. “My friend I mentioned? She’s really my _only_ friend. I just want to be at school with everyone else, like a normal kid.”

The girl smiled. “Then let’s get to class before we’re late. I’m Marinette, by the way.”

“Adrien,” he replied as they started walking again.

“Wait, _Adrien?_ ” she asked. “You’re the one Chloe was talking about yesterday! Don’t tell me _she’s_ your friend…”

“Yeah?” he said unsurely. “Is that a problem?”

Marinette groaned. “She’s kind of the class bully. Likes picking on _me_ specifically. So if you’re going to hang out with her, then you probably don’t want to talk to me.”

“Oh,” he replied. “She’s always liked things to go her way, but I didn’t know that she…”

“It’s fine,” she said tersely. “Come on, I’ll show you to the locker room.”

As they headed up the steps of the school, a car pulled up behind them. “Adrien!” he heard a familiar voice call.

He cringed before turning around. “H-hi, Nathalie.”

“You know your father doesn’t want you here.”

“I just want to go to school,” he said, though his tone of voice suggested he’d already given in.

Marinette stepped forward then. “Everyone has the right to an education. He should be allowed to go to school if he wants.”

The woman leveled a stare at her. “This isn’t your business—”

“No, but you’re the one talking about it on a public street,” she pointed out. “You realize most parents worry about their kids doing drugs or something? He wants to go to _school_ , do you know how _insane_ it is that you won’t let him?”

Adrien just gaped at the girl. The morning sun was shining on her, illuminating a blue sheen in her black hair as her blue eyes blazed with fury. He’d never seen anyone fiercer or more _beautiful_ in his life.

Even Nathalie seemed taken aback. “I—I’ll inform your father.”

“Thank you, Nathalie,” he said. “I promise this will work out.”

She pursed her lips in disapproval, but turned and headed back to the car.

Adrien turned to look at Marinette, lips curving into as mile. “That was _awesome_. Thank you!”

She smiled widely, a faint blush tinging her cheeks. “It’s no big deal, really. Come on, you don’t wanna be late your first day!”

As Adrien followed her into the school, his own smile grew. How lucky was he to meet a girl like _Marinette_?

**

Marinette entered the classroom just in time to watch Chloe place a wad of gum on her seat.

“Seriously, Chloe?”

The blonde girl turned, only to smile and completely ignore Marinette. “Adrikins! You made it!”

“Uh, hi Chloe,” Adrien said. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, you know,” she said flippantly, “Putting peasants in their place. Come sit by me!”

He furrowed his brow as he said, “No, I don’t think so. I wanted to make more friends, remember? What good would it do to be next to the one person I already know?” To emphasize his point, he took one of the other empty seats in the front row, next to a boy who was listening to music and ignoring the whole conversation.

Marinette, meanwhile, fished a spare napkin out of her bag and placed it on the gum before sitting down. She glanced across the aisle at Adrien and grinned.

When Alya took the seat next to her, she noticed Marinette smiling at the model. “So, is that your boyfriend?”

Marinette laughed, shaking her head. “I just met him this morning. But I think we’ll be very good friends.”

**

When Wayzz had the chance, he darted from Adrien’s bookbag to Marinette’s purse, finding Pollen lounging within.

“Wayzz!” she happily chirped. “Your owner goes to school here?”

The kwami nodded. “That is fortunate—we’ll be able to see each other and strategize. I do worry about my owner, though…”

“What’s wrong?” Pollen asked.

“I can sense Nooroo’s presence strongly when I am in his home,” Wayzz replied. “I fear that his owner may be someone close to mine.”

**

“So, tell me what you think of this,” Alya said to Marinette at lunch, pulling out her phone and pulling up a website.

“The Turtle Buzz?” Marinette asked as she read the title. “It’s a blog?”

Alya nodded eagerly. “Yeah! About Captain Turtle and Honeybee! I was _there_ yesterday when they stopped that rock monster—who was _Ivan_ , by the way—and I got some great photos that no one else has!”

“I mean, it’s pretty cool,” Marinette said with a grin. “You’re going to keep this going?”

“Yeah,” Alya said. “This could be my foot in the door to being a real journalist! I’m like Lois Lane!”

“I don’t think Captain Turtle’s alter-ego is going to date you,” Marinette teased.

Alya just shrugged. “That’s fine. Honeybee is _way_ more my type anyways.”

Marinette tried not to blush.

**

Marinette’s phone buzzed with a news alert between classes.

_Public Alert: Avoid Eiffel Tower area. Unknown hostile presence._

She sighed and peeked into her purse to see her kwami looking back at her. “Should we check this out?”

Pollen nodded. “Better safe than sorry!”

**

Honeybee arrived at the Eiffel Tower to see an _army_ of black and purple butterflies, hovering together in a vague blob shape. She rested on top of a building across the street from the tower, avoiding the police gathered below.

“What do you think that is?” a voice suddenly asked from beside her. She turned to see Captain Turtle crouched on the edge of the roof next to her. His eyes were narrowed, his mouth set in a determined line, but when he noticed her glance, he smiled, brightening up the _world_ around them.

“No idea,” she replied. “It _looks_ like a bunch of those akuma things from yesterday, but why are they just _floating_ there?”

Captain Turtle offered his hand to her as he asked, “Let’s get a closer look.”

She took his hand and held onto him maybe a _little_ tighter than necessary as they swung over the police to land directly in front of the cloud of butterflies.

As they hit the ground, the cloud began to move, the butterflies shifting so they formed a large head. “Captain Turtle. Honeybee,” the head said with the voice of an adult man. “I am Hawkmoth. Tell me where to find the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses or there _will_ be more monsters terrorizing Paris! This is your chance to end things peacefully.”

Honeybee glanced at her partner, noticing that he looked just as confused as her. But there was another expression in his eyes, determination and…anger?

Captain Turtle stepped forwards suddenly, squaring back his shoulders, holding his head high. “If you’re the one causing these monsters, then _you’re_ the villain here!” he cried. “Don’t put the blame on _us_ for fixing your messes. We _will_ find you, and we _will_ defeat you!”

Honeybee couldn’t help but smile. Her partner’s words hit a chord within her heart, and she _knew_ at that instant that she could trust this boy with her _life_.

He stepped back and glanced towards her, murmuring, “Now’s probably a good time for a dramatic exit. Mind lending me a hand?”

“No problem,” she said, looping her arm around his before throwing her trompo to a nearby building and zipping the two of them away. They watched from a safe distance as the butterflies scattered, flying every which way until the area was clear.

“Did that guy’s voice sound familiar to you?” Captain Turtle asked.

Honeybee frowned. “Hawkmoth? No, I don’t think so.”

“Weird,” he muttered. “I—I need to get back to school.”

“Wait!” she cried, before he could jump away. “W-we should preet up mater. I mean! Meet up. Later. Trapol the ci— _patrol_ the city.” What was she _saying_? Why were these words coming out of her mouth and making her sound stupid?

“Probably a good idea,” he said with an easy grin. “I’ll meet you at Notre Dame, tomorrow night? We can work out some kind of schedule then.”

“Y-yeah,” she said, pink tinging her cheeks. “I’ll thee you sen.”

He jumped away before she realized what she’d said.

**

Marinette arrived back at school just before the bell for the last class rang. She barely paid attention to anything her teacher said, instead thinking about her _patrol not a date_ with Captain Turtle.

When the day ended and everyone filed out of the school, she was snapped out of her thoughts by nearly walking into Adrien, who stood in front of the school, just staring at a car that was sitting by the curb.

“Adrien?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

He gave her a nervous smile, shifting his bookbag on his shoulder. “Uh, hey, Marinette,” he said. “Nothing’s really wrong, I just—this is the end of my first day of school _ever_. I’m just…not ready to go home yet.”

“You’re coming back tomorrow, right?”

He nodded. “At lunch, my father told me I can keep going to school.”

“That’s great!” she said, smiling. She reached over to him and gently took his hand, lightly squeezing in encouragement. “Don’t worry about this, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow. You can come by and walk with me again if you want.”

With that, she headed out, covering her head with her arms to avoid the light rain that was falling. She didn’t notice Adrien’s smile at her retreating figure, or the lovesick sigh he let out as she walked away.

“Hey Wayzz,” he asked once he was sure no one else could hear, “Is this what being in love feels like?”

Wayzz chuckled from inside his bookbag. “That girl is quite a special one.”


	3. Lady Wifi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya obsesses over the identity of Honeybee.

Alya just _knew_ that the way to make a name for herself as a reporter would be to find out the identities of Captain Turtle and Honeybee. She glanced around the classroom, trying not to be too obvious as she compared everyone to the mental image she had of the heroes.

She was logical, and knew the chances of the heroes being in _her_ class were slim. But if she could rule these people out, it was a step forward.

Her gaze settled on Chloe. From the few interactions she’d had with the blonde, Alya already didn’t like her. It didn’t help that Chloe insisted on calling her “new girl” all the time instead of her _name_.

But—she was wearing a yellow jacket with black stripes on her shirt, _just like a bee_. And her hair matched the blonde stripes in Honeybee’s hair. And Chloe did have a sort of queen bee personality…

“What are _you_ looking at?” Chloe asked suddenly, apparently noticing Alya’s intent gaze.

“Alya,” Miss Bustier interrupted, making the girl glance back towards the front with a guilty expression. “Can you bring Marinette today’s work?”

“Uh, sure,” Alya replied, just then noticing that her friend had been in the bathroom the _entire_ class period.

**

As Alya passed through the locker room on her way out of school, she happened to see Chloe at her own locker. She’d completely decorated the inside in yellow and black, and pulled out what looked like a bee-shaped necklace.

That was proof enough for Alya. Chloe was Honeybee!

She grabbed Nino’s arm as the boy was passing by. “I have to talk to you!” she hissed.

“Uh, what?” Nino asked, confused by this girl he’d barely interacted with. “Why me?”

“Because—I don’t know, you seem like someone I can trust,” Alya replied, dragging him to a secluded spot between the rows of lockers. “You know Chloe, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I noticed her whole aesthetic is really bee-themed—could she be Honeybee?”

Nino just laughed. “You’re lucky you’re new and don’t really know her yet,” he replied. “Chloe’s too self-involved to be a hero to _anyone_ , let alone a _sidekick_.”

Alya’s face twisted into a frown. “I don’t know…it seems right to me.”

“Yeah, and I’m Captain Turtle,” Nino replied sarcastically. “Look, it’s cool that we’ve got these heroes now, but if you start butting in on _Chloe’s_ business right away, she’s gonna try to make your life hell. Trust me.”

**

That day’s akuma fight ended up going on so long that Marinette had to skip her afternoon classes, instead just heading home once she and Captain Turtle had wrapped things up.

She’d really wanted to stay and just talk with her partner for a few minutes, get to know him a little better, but he seemed worried about the time and darted off as soon as he could.

So Marinette detransformed in an alley behind the school and walked home alone.

“Hello, Marinette!” her mother greeted her. “Your friend Alya came by with your bag and your assignments. Did something happen that made you miss class?”

She cringed as she tried to come up with a quick lie. “I was stuck in the bathroom for a while. Not feeling well.”

“Oh, dear,” her mother said. “Well, go get some rest. Oh, and the phone repair man is here, so I let him go through your room to get to the balcony.”

“Okay,” Marinette said, already on her way up the stairs.

**

She found her bookbag on her desk and an alarming note from Alya.

_I know who Honeybee is. Call me!_

Marinette pulled out her phone, intending to call her friend, but there was no signal. She heard a noise from her balcony, remembered the phone repair man was there, and chose to work on her homework until she either passed out from exhaustion or could get a phone signal again.

“Hey Pollen?” she asked, her voice soft so the repair man wouldn’t hear her. “How come the phone’s still broken? I know there was some damage to the cell towers, but shouldn’t Turtle’s cure have fixed it?”

“The cures that we can do are limited,” Pollen explained, settling into the little nest of flowers Marinette had made for her. “The Turtle can only repair damage _directly_ caused by an akuma. You can repair damage caused by one of the _other_ Miraculouses, but I do hope we won’t have to face them.”

“So since the cell tower was damaged by that car driving into it,” Marinette reasoned, “it’s just broken? No magical fix?”

“No,” Pollen replied. “That’s why it’s so important you keep damage to a minimum while fighting! But, my Queen, you’ve done very well so far! I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Pollen.”

**

The next day, Alya had a plan. She needed to study Chloe’s bee-themed locker to _prove_ that Chloe was Honeybee!

“Nino,” she hissed at the boy, grabbing his arm between classes. “Distract Chloe so I can get a picture of her locker!”

“ _Why_?” he asked, exasperated. “I don’t want to get involved with this.”

Alya huffed and walked away, positioning herself at the perfect angle to see into Chloe’s locker before calling out loudly, “Oh my god, is that Captain Turtle?”

Chloe turned away, glancing to the side, and Alya snapped a quick photo with her phone. _Perfect_.

When Chloe turned back to her locker, Sabrina suddenly rushed to her side and murmured something, causing the blonde to whirl around and glare at Alya. “Um, did you just take a picture of _my_ locker?”

“It’s a free country,” Alya sniped back.

“Ugh!” Chloe cried, stomping out of the locker room. A moment later, one of the teachers entered and called, “Miss Cesaire? Please come with me to the principal’s office.”

**

When Marinette arrived in class, she noticed Alya wasn’t at her seat. She leaned across the aisle to Adrien and whispered, “Where’s Alya?”

Adrien tried to ignore the soft pink of her lips and focus on the question that came out of them. “She wasn’t here when I got here—Nino says she got suspended.”

“ _What?_ ” Marinette cried, before quickly clapping her hand over her mouth, blushing.

She was _adorable_.

She leaned back towards Adrien. “What happened?”

“She took a picture of Chloe’s locker, I guess? Nino said she’s convinced Chloe is Honeybee.” Of course, he figured there was _no way_ that was the case—he’d only known Honeybee a couple of weeks but she had yet to make fun of him once, even in the teasing way Chloe often did.

“ _WHAT?_ ”

“Marinette!” Miss Bustier cried. “Please go to the principal’s office and stop ignoring the lesson!”

Marinette bit her tongue so she wouldn’t point out that making her go to the office would mean she’ll miss _more_ of the lesson, and grabbed her bag instead, walking out the door.

Adrien frowned as he slumped back into his seat. He’d gotten her in trouble. He needed to apologize to her later.

**

Marinette knocked on the door of Principal Damocles’s office. When there was no answer, she pushed open the door.

Damocles was frozen in place, a pause icon hovering in the air above him. Curious, Marinette walked closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to see if she could snap him out of it.

She jumped about a mile in the air when his computer screen suddenly switched on, showing Alya wearing a black and white jumpsuit with a wifi logo on her chest. “Hello, everyone!” she said cheerily, though her tone held an edge of anger to it. “I am Lady Wifi, and I’m going to uncover the _truth_ about Captain Turtle and Honeybee! Stay tuned! Not that you have a choice…”

Lady Wifi turned on the screen to show Principal Damocles, looking normal and angry—right until she did something with her phone and paused him, freezing him entirely.

“I already know who Honeybee is!” she said in the same happy and angry tone. “I’ll be unmasking _her_ shortly!”

Marinette just sighed. “Alya, you have _no_ idea,” she muttered as she double-checked the comb that was fixed into her hair. “Pollen, buzz on!”

**

Adrien took advantage of the chaos of his class panicking to call Wayzz for his transformation. He followed Chloe from a distance as she left the school and headed to her home. If Alya really believed that she was Honeybee—that’d be the first place she looked.

As he headed there, though, he received a call on his weapon from Honeybee. “Hey, where are you?” she asked.

“Heading to Le Grand Paris,” he replied. “I’m pretty sure Chloe is going to be this akuma’s first target.”

Honeybee giggled. “You do know I’m _not_ her, right?”

“I had a pretty good idea of that.”

“Well, I’ll meet you over there,” she said, hanging up on him before she could lapse into babbling. He’d been running while they were talking, and the way the wind swept through his green hair—so _cute!_

She arrived at the hotel, landing on the roof of the building next door, beside Captain Turtle.

“Chloe’s room is right there,” he said, pointing at an open window. “Think you can get me in there?”

“Easy,” she replied, grabbing onto his hand as she threw her trompo across to the hotel. She focused hard, definitely not thinking about how she could feel the warmth of his hand through their suits, even more definitely not thinking about _why did he know where Chloe’s room was_?

They landed in the hotel room just as Lady Wifi was materializing, appearing from static that came from Chloe’s cell phone. The blonde girl was sitting on a couch, having tossed the phone aside already. She glanced up at the heroes. “Honeybee, Turtle Boy, _do something!_ ”

“Honeybee?” Lady Wifi asked as she appeared fully. She glanced between Chloe and the heroine in confusion. “So _you’re_ not…?”

“Ugh, as if!” Chloe exclaimed. “Like I’d ever be seen with _that_ turtle-themed loser!”

“Hey!” Honeybee cried, stepping forward. “Captain Turtle is the _best_ hero there is, don’t talk about my partner that way!”

“It really doesn’t matter who’s the best hero,” Lady Wifi said with a grin, her finger poised over her cell phone. “I can just capture both of you and unmask you right now!”

“I don’t think so,” Captain Turtle said, his voice nearly a growl. As Lady Wifi swiped her phone, sending out a pink pause icon towards Honeybee, he jumped forward to shield his partner, deflecting the icon and pausing a bird outside mid-flight. “Come on, Bee, let’s move!”

Honeybee rushed out the room with Captain Turtle, leading the akuma away from Chloe. The two went to the stairs at the end of the hallway and started rushing down the steps, spiraling their way down the hotel.

“Where are we going?” Honeybee asked.

“Basement!” he replied. “No cell signal, no power, right?”

“Oh, you got me!” Lady Wifi called out, stopping in her tracks instead of chasing them. “Maybe next time, don’t spell out your brilliant plans when your opponent’s in earshot!” She turned on her heel and started running _up_ the stairs instead, swiping icons left and right as she went.

Captain Turtle turned faster than Honeybee did, accidentally colliding with the girl. She wavered off balance, threatening to fall down the stairs, but he quickly wrapped an arm around her waist to catch her. “You okay there?”

“Y-yeah,” she said, trying not to blush—but it was very hard as he was _still_ holding her.

“Good,” he said, helping her stand upright again. “Can’t go losing my favorite partner, after all.” He punctuated his words by booping the tip of her nose as he let go of her, and she needed a moment to collect herself before following him up the stairs.

They found most of the doors blocked by a pink lock icon, so they kept climbing until one door was open—the door to the hotel restaurant.

The restaurant was too quiet. As the two walked through, they noticed a cell phone placed in the center of each table.

“I think these are how she’s moving around,” Captain Turtle said. He raised his shield, preparing to smash one of the phones. “If we break them, then—”

“Wait!” Honeybee cried. “Those are people’s _phones_ , Cap. Don’t just _break_ them!”

He glanced at her, puzzled for a moment, before his eyes widened. “Right! Cure wouldn’t fix them if Lady Wifi didn’t break them—my kwami explained that, I guess I just forgot.”

“So, no breaking them,” she said. “We just find Lady Wifi.”

“And what exactly do you plan to do with me?” the akuma’s voice rang out from each of the phones simultaneously. “I think you’ve forgotten exactly who’s the cat and who’s the mouse!”

“We should split up,” Captain Turtle said. He nodded towards the entrance to the kitchens and the service elevator.

“Right,” Honeybee replied, tilting her head to let him know which direction she’d take.

They ran their separate ways, but Honeybee was the one to discover Lady Wifi in the kitchen—and immediately get locked in with her.

“Now I’ll finally see who you really are!” the akuma cried, advancing towards Honeybee, who ducked around a counter towards a doorway.

“What makes you think you’d even _recognize_ me?” she asked. One more step, and—she quickly opened the door and darted through.

Lady Wifi let out a primal scream, sending a lock icon at the door. It slammed shut behind Honeybee, knocking her to the ground and knocking the comb out of her hair.

“Oh no!” she cried, frantically feeling around in the dark space for the comb. “Pollen, help me!”

“I c-can’t, my Queen,” Pollen said, the kwami shivering as she floated. “It’s t-too c-cold!”

“This must be the freezer,” Marinette groaned. “I-it’s okay. Captain Turtle will save us. I’ll find the comb—if I’m transformed, will you be warmer?”

“Y-yes…p-please hurry!”

**

Once he realized he wasn’t being followed, Captain Turtle headed back towards the hotel’s restaurant. Maybe he could sneak up on Lady Wifi while she was distracted.

He saw the akuma standing beside a locked door, looking…bored? She was tapping away at her phone. After a moment, she pounded her fist against the door. “Has the little bee gone into hibernation yet?” she taunted.

Captain Turtle realized with a start that the door must be the kitchen’s _freezer_ —and Honeybee was trapped inside. Collateral damage or not, he had to get her out of there.

He hoisted his shield up before hurling it towards Lady Wifi, a well-placed throw that knocked her phone out of her hand. It fell to the ground, cracking in half and letting a black butterfly fly out of it. Another toss of the shield, and the butterfly was purified, flying away calmly.

Lady Wifi transformed back to Alya, and fell to her knees in a daze. “What happened…?”

Captain Turtle didn’t answer, instead rushing towards the now unlocked freezer door and yanking it open. Honeybee was sitting in the center of the walk-in freezer, shivering so hard she didn’t even glance up.

“Shellter!” he cried, creating a shield around himself and the frozen girl. The cold was pushed away, letting Honeybee sluggishly turn her head up to look at him.

“Turtle?” she asked softly.

He knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her, trying to warm her. His cheek rested against hers and it felt like ice. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “I got the akuma. Let’s get you warm and out of here.”

She smiled and leaned into his touch. If she’d been in her right mind, she would have blushed at the contact, but all she could focus on was _warm_.

He stayed there with her for a minute, his hands rubbing her arms to try and warm her, until his bracelet beeped its first warning. He pulled back then, getting to his feet. “I’ve gotta go, Bee,” he said. “Are you okay to walk?”

“I think so,” she said, shakily standing. “You go change back, I’ll talk to Alya.”

He nodded. “Miracle Turtle!”

As Captain Turtle went to find somewhere to hide and transform, Honeybee approached Alya. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Alya said, though she stared at the remains of her phone. It had been passed over by the healing light already, but wasn’t fixed. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Honeybee said with a smile. “It’s not your fault a villain decided to use you as a pawn.”

“No, but I did start this by trying to figure out your real identity,” Alya confessed. “That was pretty stupid. I love superhero comics, I should _know_ how important secret identities are!”

“Well, look on the bright side. You may not know our identities, but you can at least be the first reporter to have a first-hand account of being an akuma!”

Alya smiled slightly. “Yeah. That’s a great idea, thanks! And hey, if you ever want a chance to talk to your adoring public, let me know and we’ll do an interview.”

“Sounds good,” Honeybee replied with a grin.

**

Everything was mostly back to normal the next day. Marinette met Adrien outside the bakery for their short walk to school. She hadn’t intended for this to become a regular thing, but Adrien just looked so _happy_ to see her every day that she didn’t have the heart to say otherwise.

Plus, she was on time for a full week straight, a new record!

“Hey, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for yesterday,” Adrien said to her, not quite able to look her in the eye as they walked across the street.

“Sorry for what?”

“Getting you in trouble,” he replied. “I should’ve been the one sent to the principal.”

“Oh, that?” she asked with a shrug and a smile. “I think everyone forgot about it with the akuma, so no harm done.”

“Still,” he said. “I should’ve told Miss Bustier it was my fault. If it happens again, I-I’ll take the fall for you.”

“My knight in shining armor,” she said, a little bit of laughter in her voice. He blushed softly, and as they approached the door of the school, he took a few steps forward to open it for her with a bow.

“My Lady,” he said, giving her his best Model Smile.

She giggled as she walked through the doorway, and he stood there for a moment longer than necessary, his normal smile stretching into a dopey grin as he watched her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: Reflekta


	4. Reflekta

Adrien was _excited_ for picture day. He was used to taking pictures, of course, but a picture with a whole class? A picture with friends? That was new.

As he waited with the class for their turn to take the picture in the school courtyard, he overheard a conversation between the girls.

“Marinette!” Rose cried. “Tell Juleka she isn’t cursed!”

“You’re not cursed,” Marinette replied automatically. “Why would you even think that?”

“I’ve never had a good photo taken of me,” Juleka murmured in her quiet way as she responded. “Seems like the universe doesn’t want one to exist.”

Marinette just scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. I’ll take a picture of you right now!”

She pulled out her phone and aimed the camera at Juleka, who smiled half-heartedly. Just as Marinette pushed the button to take the picture, Juleka sneezed.

“Told you,” she muttered.

“Well, that’s…a coincidence,” Marinette replied. “It’s just a school picture anyways, it doesn’t really matter. We can take a _ton_ of better pictures later.”

“I know,” Juleka mumbled. “But it matters to me.”

Marinette and Rose exchanged a look and a nod. They were going to make _sure_ this was Juleka’s best picture ever.

When it was their class’s turn, the students filed onto the bleachers. The photographer ordered a few people around due to their heights, and when everyone was settled, Marinette was beside Rose in the front, and Juleka was beside Adrien in the middle.

“Hey, you’ll definitely be seen clearly in this photo!” Marinette commented as she turned to face Juleka.

Adrien smiled as he witnessed the exchange. How could he _not_ admire her?

“Excuse me!” Chloe called out suddenly. “I’m in the wrong spot! I should be front and center!”

“You’re in the perfect spot,” the photographer said in reply. “Stay where you are, I have many pictures to take today!”

His camera suddenly began to beep loudly.

The photographer just groaned. “I’ll be right back,” he said to the class. “Need to get a new battery.”

Juleka pushed past the other students, murmuring to Miss Bustier, “I need to use the bathroom.”

No one noticed as Chloe exchanged a look with Sabrina, who scurried off after Juleka. Chloe then pushed her way forward, taking Juleka’s spot.

“Chloe, what are you doing?” Adrien asked.

Marinette turned around and glared at Chloe. “Come on, that’s Juleka’s spot.”

“Well, Juleka’s not coming back,” Chloe said flippantly. “So I deserve the best spot.”

“All right!” the photographer cried, placing the new battery into his camera. “And, three, two, one--!”

The camera flashed, capturing a photo of the whole class glaring at Chloe.

“Moving on!” the photographer said, gesturing for the students to walk away.

“Wait!” Marinette cried. “Juleka wasn’t here!”

The photographer sighed. “I have many pictures to take, if she wasn’t here, that’s her fault. Move on!”

The class dispersed as the bell for lunch rang. As Marinette began to walk away, she felt Rose’s hand grip her wrist with a surprisingly tight grasp.

“I’m worried about Juleka,” Rose said softly. “Can you help me find her?”

Marinette nodded. “She said she went to the bathroom, right?”

The two girls headed off to the nearest restroom, finding one of the stalls shut and blocked with a chair propped against the door.

“Juleka!” Rose cried, running to move the chair away from the door. It swung open, and Juleka stumbled out.

“I missed the picture, didn’t I?” she asked, frowning.

“You did,” Marinette confirmed. “But, it’s okay—we can fix it somehow!”

Juleka shook her head. “There’s no use. I’m cursed.”

“Juleka,” Rose said, wrapping her arms around her friend. “We’ll fix it, I promise!”

The tall girl shook her head before moving to sit on the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Just leave me alone.”

Rose shook her head, sitting beside Juleka, and Marinette took this as her cue to leave. The two were closer to each other than Marinette had ever been to either of them—she could wait outside and keep an eye out for evil butterflies or blonde classmates.

Unfortunately for her, both started heading towards the restroom at the same time. She only noticed Chloe, though, and walked towards her to fend her off.

“You already won, Chloe,” Marinette said, stepping in her path. “Leave Juleka alone.”

Chloe just scoffed. “Maybe I just had to use the bathroom, Dupain-Cheng. It’s not like it’s your business.”

“There’s other bathrooms.” Marinette crossed her arms over her chest, standing firm.

Neither of them noticed the butterfly making its way into the restroom—but they both heard Rose scream.

Marinette instantly turned to dash into the room. She was met by two identical girls, dressed in gaudy pink and red vinyl. One of them pointed to the other and cried out, “It’s Juleka! She just transformed into this!”

Before Marinette could react, the akumatized Juleka raised her hand, letting a beam fly from her bracelet, hitting the surprised girl square in the chest. She fell backwards, and when she stood, she was another identical copy.

Juleka walked past her into the hall, where she smiled at Chloe. “I am Reflekta!” she announced. “And _everyone_ will remember my face!”

“Ugh, as if I could _forget_ this disgusting crime of fashion!” Chloe cried, before she was transformed. Chaos erupted in the halls as Reflekta sent out her transforming beams right and left, turning everyone into copies of herself.

Marinette took advantage of the chaos to find a hiding spot, calling, “Pollen, buzz on!”

Nothing happened.

“Uh, Pollen?” She reached up to her head, checking that the comb was still in place. Instead, she found the strange hat-headcovering- _thing_ that Reflekta wore. “Oh no.”

Well, all she had to do was make sure the akuma didn’t cause too much damage until Captain Turtle could arrive. Of course she had to see him while she looked like _this_.

**

Adrien was going to go home for lunch when he heard screams from within the school. He dashed off behind a row of lockers and transformed before running out to the halls to find the akuma.

It wasn’t hard to find Reflekta—all he had to do was follow the trail of clown-like doubles. He thought, for a moment, what his father might say about these fashion monstrosities.

He missed when he could laugh at things with his father.

But an akuma attack was no time for reminiscing. Captain Turtle rushed through the school, following the sounds of screams, when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

“Captain Turtle!”

“Marinette?” he asked, seeing another one of Reflekta’s clones.

She hesitated just half a second before nodding. “It’s Juleka. She’s turning people into clones with her bracelet. I think she headed to the courtyard…”

He nodded. “I’ll go take care of her. You get somewhere safe.”

“I’m coming with you,” she said, determined.

“No,” he said, a little more firmly than he meant to. His face softened, and he added, “I—I can’t let you get hurt.”

Marinette physically couldn’t blush, but she smiled slightly before narrowing her eyes. “I won’t get hurt. She _already_ got me, so she can’t do any worse!”

Both of them flinched at the sound of another scream, and Captain Turtle sighed. “I have to go. _Please_ , be safe.”

He headed towards the courtyard, and she followed after him. They saw Reflekta there, turning more students into copies of herself.

Captain Turtle ducked behind a bench, keeping himself out of sight, and Marinette joined him. “I think the akuma’s in her bracelet,” he murmured. “It’s the only thing that doesn’t look like a balloon on her.”

“That makes sense. She was wearing it before.”

“So I just need to distract her…”

“On it, Cap!” Marinette said, a little too cheerily before springing up out of hiding and running towards Reflekta. Her heart pounded with each step as she became determined to prove to Captain Turtle that she was someone worth noticing. Maybe he would ask her out after she helped him, and they’d go to the movies, and get married, and adopt a hamster—

She reminded herself to focus as she approached Reflekta. She dodged another transformation beam before ducking under Reflekta’s raised arm and grabbing her wrist, spinning to pin her arm behind her back.

The akuma screamed in anger, reaching her other hand around to try and strike Marinette. She just braced herself, letting herself get hit. Captain Turtle cringed, fists clenched as he watched.

She glanced across the courtyard at Captain Turtle, who gave her a short nod. She ducked again as his shield sailed through the air, striking the akuma’s wrist and releasing the black butterfly.

Reflekta fell to the ground, transforming back into Juleka. Marinette knelt beside her, murmuring, “It’s okay now. You’re safe. It’s okay.”

Captain Turtle caught the butterfly and purified it before cleansing the area, the green light slowly transforming the students back into their normal selves. He glanced around and noticed Honeybee was nowhere in sight—how much damage would Reflekta have caused if he hadn’t been at the school to notice her?

Juleka slowly stood up, still looking at the ground, hugging herself. “I-I’m really sorry,” she said to the hero.

“Don’t be sorry,” Marinette said sternly. “It’s Hawkmoth’s and Chloe’s fault, not yours.”

“Yeah,” Captain Turtle agreed. “Besides, you didn’t do much harm, just gave everyone a bit of a makeover.”

Marinette giggled at his words, and turned to face him. “Thank you for saving the day,” she said softly.

“You let yourself get hurt,” he said with a frown. His gloved hand brushed her arm where she’d been hit. “Will you be okay?”

She nodded. “I’ve gotten worse bruises from falling before. Besides, you’re the hero here, I should be worried about _you_.” She leaned forward and placed a small, soft kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Captain.”

He blushed a bright red. “Well, uh—I should get going! Stay safe, citizens!” He awkwardly saluted before turning on his heel and running off into the building.

“He’s so cute,” Marinette sighed, watching him leave. She was only snapped out of her lovestruck moment by Juleka chuckling beside her.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “It’s just—that’s how Rose acts when she’s talking about Prince Ali. It’s really cute.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose. “It’s not like I have a chance with him anyways—he’s a superhero, and I’m _me_. But, anyways—I have an idea to fix your photo curse.”

**

That afternoon, everyone in the class except Chloe gathered in the park outside the school. Alya took photo after photo on her camera of Juleka with different members of the class, ending in a big group selfie.

“There,” she said, tapping at her phone. “Juleka, just emailed you all of these, and you look _great_ in them.”

“No more curse!” Marinette cheered, throwing her arm around Juleka’s shoulders. Rose followed, grabbing the shy girl in a tight hug, and soon it was just a pile of all the girls showing their friend the affection she deserved.

As everyone started to make their way home, Adrien tapped Marinette on the shoulder. “Uh, hey, do you have a minute?”

“Yeah?” she asked, turning towards him with a grin.

“Uh—I heard you helped with the akuma today,” he said, smiling bashfully. “And I just—that’s really cool of you. You’re awesome, Marinette.”

“Aw, thanks,” she said, a light blush on her cheeks. “You’re really cool too.”

“Do—would you mind taking a picture with me?” he asked. “I—I don’t have enough pictures with friends.”

“Yeah, sounds fun!” she replied.

Adrien held up his phone for a selfie, and Marinette stood beside him, so close he could feel her warmth. He slid his arm around her shoulders before snapping the picture, and she gave the camera a grin and a peace sign.

“Th-thanks, Marinette,” he said, his cheeks pink. “I, uh—I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Adrien smiled as he saved the picture and savored the memory of his arm around her body, how _easy_ it would’ve been to just pull her into a tight hug…

“You’ve got it bad for her, don’t you?” Alya’s voice cut into his thoughts.

He turned to see the girl raising an eyebrow at him. “Um,” he said eloquently.

“It’s cool!” she said. “I’m Team Adrienette, you’re a good guy and she deserves someone like you.”

“Please don’t tell her,” he said. “I—I need to do that myself. Somehow.”

“I promise,” Alya said, holding out her hand for a fist bump. “You’ve got the best wingwoman on your side now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: The Bubbler


	5. The Bubbler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Adrien's birthday and his friends want him to have a party.

Marinette was very prepared for every occasion. When she had time to do so in the morning, she checked her large pull-down calendar of her friends’ schedules, seeing who had important events coming up, and how she could help.

She had a stash of simple handmade gifts for last-minute birthday presents—scarves, necklaces, coin purses, really anything she felt like making without a recipient in mind. She didn’t see any reason to hang on to her creations when she wasn’t going to _use_ all of them, and this way she was able to make her friends happy. Win-win!

So when she saw it was Adrien’s birthday, she spent a few minutes looking at what she had available before selecting a light blue scarf for him. It was made of a soft and warm material, and it would look good with his hair.

**

“Happy birthday, master!”

Adrien smiled appreciatively at his kwami as he got dressed for the day. “I told you, you don’t need to call me that. ‘Adrien’ is fine.”

“Of course,” Wayzz said with a nod. “I’ve never had a ma—a _holder_ ask me to refer to them in such an…informal manner before. I am afraid this habit will take some time to break. Will you be doing anything special for this occasion?”

“I asked Father if I could have a party,” Adrien replied, “but I’m pretty sure I know what the answer will be. Still, it’ll be nice to spend the day with friends at school!”

“Well, allow me to give you your first gift of the day,” Wayzz said. He began humming some unfamiliar tune while spinning around in the air, and soon opened his mouth, depositing a small green object into his small arms. He brushed off some spittle before presenting it to Adrien. “A kwagatama!”

“A what now?” Adrien asked, taking the object. It was smooth, looked like it was made of jade, shaped like a small crescent.

“A kwagatama,” Wayzz replied. “It’s a traditional gift from kwamis, made of a special resin, containing a hair of all my previous ma—holders. Holding it will allow you to sense the strength and wisdom of past turtles.”

Adrien grinned widely. “Thanks. It’s definitely a lot nicer than the pen my father’s probably going to give me this year. Again.”

**

When Adrien met Marinette outside of her house, she presented him with a gift bag. “Happy birthday!”

He broke into a wide smile as he accepted the bag. “Thanks! You’re so awesome.” He pulled out the scarf and immediately wrapped it around his neck, brushing some of the soft material against his cheek. “This is amazing! Did—did you make it?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I like making things for friends when I get the chance. If you look carefully, I hid my name in the stitching along the edge—a little signature, just so you never forget who gave it to you.”

Adrien was absolutely never going to forget. He spent the short walk to school just smiling at Marinette, wondering how in the world he was so lucky to be friends with such an absolute _angel_.

“So, are you doing anything fun today?” Marinette asked as they approached the entrance to the school.

He shrugged. “I mean, I get to spend the day with my friends, so that’s nice.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s…you’re just spending your birthday at school? No party?”

“I asked my father, but he said no.”

“ _Dude_ ,” Nino suddenly chimed in, apparently having heard the last bit of the conversation as he walked up. “You _need_ a party. Your old man really said no? What are you doing instead?”

“Um,” Adrien said as he mentally went over his schedule. “A Chinese lesson.”

“Oh, is it Mandarin?” Marinette asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “My father won’t let me skip that. But you really don’t need to worry about me, guys. Marinette, you already gave me a scarf! This is great!”

As he walked into the building, Marinette and Nino exchanged a look.

“I’m gonna talk to his father,” Nino said.

Marinette nodded. “The poor guy is _excited_ for school!”

**

When lunchtime rolled around, Marinette and Nino headed straight to the Agreste mansion together. They rang the doorbell outside the gate, and Marinette cheerily greeted the camera that popped out to look at them.

“Hello!” she said. “We’re friends of Adrien’s from school—we’re a little concerned about him, and we’d like to talk to Mr. Agreste, please!”

The camera silently shuttered back into the wall, and the gate swung open.

“Dudette, how do you get adults to _listen_ to you like that?” Nino asked. “They all look at me like I’m some kind of scum.”

“It kind of helps that I don’t call them dude,” she replied with a sheepish grin. “I think it’s cool you do that, but adults _hate_ it.”

“Oh, good tip!” he said, giving her a thumbs-up as they entered the house.

The interior of the mansion was stark and imposing. A woman stood by the door, not saying a word to the teens as Gabriel Agreste stood at the top of the stairs, using the extra height to look even more down on them.

Marinette’s pulse rocketed as it hit her that she was in the _private home_ of one of the _greatest designers of all time_. But that didn’t matter—Adrien deserved a good birthday.

“Hello, sir,” she greeted him. “We’re here because it’s Adrien’s birthday.”

“It is,” he replied in a cold and even tone.

“So, we thought it’d be really cool if he had a birthday party, du—sir!” Nino added. “We can totally plan it and everything!”

“No,” Gabriel said simply. “He doesn’t need any frivolous distractions.”

Marinette sighed, and glanced at the woman standing by the door. Her face reflected compassion, just for half a second, before she schooled her features again.

“Come on, dude!” Nino cried. “Everyone deserves a birthday party!”

“I said no,” Gabriel replied, turning away. “I suggest you leave at once.”

“But dude--!”

“Hey,” Marinette said quietly, placing a hand on Nino’s shoulder, “come on. He’s not going to change his mind.”

Nino groaned and stomped out the door, Marinette close behind. She hesitated before walking out, however.

“Excuse me, are you Nathalie?”

**

Nino walked to the nearest park, sitting down on a bench and grumbling to himself. “Stupid adults…”

He noticed a crying child reaching out for a vendor selling bubble wands, and the child’s parent carrying him away.

“Man, parents ruin everything,” he complained aloud.

“Wouldn’t you like to do something about it?” a voice whispered in his mind. His annoyance turned to anger and fury as the voice continued, “Wouldn’t you like to get your revenge, Bubbler?”

Nino could feel the anger surrounding him, a _physical_ sensation like bubbles popping against his skin. “Yes, Hawkmoth.”

**

Marinette had just stopped at her home to eat her lunch when she suddenly saw her mother become encased in a large bubble. As her mother floated up into the sky, followed by adults from all over the city, she ran outside, calling for her transformation.

**

Adrien had no idea what was going on outside the dining hall of the mansion until he stepped outside, ready to go back to school. Instead of his driver, he found his classmates waiting for him, joyfully shouting, “Surprise!”

This would have been a pleasant surprise, if it weren’t for the technicolored akuma standing behind them all.

“Uh, what’s going on?” Adrien asked.

“Dude, it’s your birthday party!” the akuma said.

“Nino?”

“So I made sure everyone’s here to celebrate with you! And the best part—no adults allowed!” He unsheathed and swung his weapon, a large bubble wand, sending a shower of bubbles up into the sky.

Adrien watched the bubbles go up, horror gripping at his chest when he saw them join bubbles filled with _people_.

“Y-you’re not yourself, Nino,” Adrien said. “Maybe people should go home, do the party another time?”

“No!” the Bubbler cried, pointing the wand at Adrien. “There won’t _be_ another time, because the _adults_ are controlling us!” He lowered the wand as a manic smile crossed his face. “Let’s dance!”

**

When Honeybee heard loud music playing, she headed towards the source of the sound. She stopped when she saw her class awkwardly shuffling to the beat as an akuma played DJ.

“This is not good,” she mumbled, throwing out her trompo. It hit the cord of the DJ deck, unplugging it and turning off the sound.

“Who did that?” the Bubbler cried, angrily waving his bubble wand. “Whoever’s responsible for ruining my bro’s party…”

He swung the wand, sending out a large bubble that trapped one of the students, sending him up into the atmosphere. The crowd of students screamed and started to run as more and more of them were trapped.

Amid the chaos, Adrien ducked back into his house to transform.

When Honeybee landed in the courtyard, among the screaming students, she recalled her weapon before shouting, “Venom!” The trompo pulsed in her hand, ready to immobilize its target.

She leapt towards the Bubbler, jabbing the point of her weapon at him. It hit—and then he easily moved away, leaving Honeybee staring down at her hand in confused horror. Shouldn’t it have immobilized him?

She didn’t have time to think too much about it, though, as the Bubbler’s wand was knocked away from him by a turtle shell shield smacking into his hand. Honeybee breathed a sigh of relief as Captain Turtle leapt into the courtyard.

“Really?” Captain asked, raising an eyebrow at the akuma. “You need to ruin a kid’s birthday party?”

“I’m doing this _for_ Adrien!” the Bubbler replied, racing to grab his wand. Captain Turtle ran as well, but the akuma was slightly faster, picking up the wand and swinging it, releasing a large bubble that captured the two heroes.

Honeybee stumbled on the curved floor of the bubble, falling against Captain Turtle’s chest. He gently pushed her back to upright, ignoring the blush that peeked out from under her mask.

“Are you all right?” he asked in a soft voice.

She nodded. Her comb was beeping, one of the bee’s stripes vanishing. “I tried to use Venom, but—it didn’t work. I-I don’t know what to do now…”

He nodded. “First, we need to get out of this bubble. Can you pop it?”

She gave a determined nod and thrust her arm holding her trompo out against the wall of the bubble, destroying it and sending the heroes free-falling.

“Shell-ter!” Captain Turtle cried as they approached the ground. A magical barrier surrounded them, absorbing the blow as they landed, leaving the heroes unharmed and on their feet.

“We don’t have much time now!” Honeybee cried, her hand reaching to her comb.

“We’ll manage it,” he replied. “I need you to go stand…over there, by the DJ table. Got it?”

Her brow furrowed, but she nodded and ran off to where he said.

“Come on, dudes, either get with the party or _get out of the way!_ ” the Bubbler cried, swinging his wand again. Just before he could release a bubble, Captain Turtle threw his shield again, knocking the wand directly to where Honeybee stood waiting. She snapped it in half over her knee as he ran to reclaim his shield.

He captured the akuma and sent out the healing wave as Honeybee ran off, the last stripe on her comb blinking rapidly. He then headed over to Nino, helping the dazed DJ stand up. “Hey. You doing okay?”

Nino groaned. “I totally ruined my bro’s birthday, didn’t I?”

Captain Turtle laughed. “Nah. I’m sure he appreciated the effort, but maybe the next party you throw should be a little less super villain themed. I’ve gotta get going now, but stay chill, okay?”

“You know it, dude,” Nino replied, offering the hero a fist bump.

**

“Pollen, why didn’t Venom work?” Marinette asked her kwami, gently cradling the small creature in her hands as she walked back to school.

“I’m so sorry, my Queen!” Pollen replied. “The power of the Bee is weak against the power of the Butterfly. It means you can’t directly harm akumas with your power—but you’re smart! You’ll definitely find ways around it!”

Marinette just frowned, letting Pollen slip back into her bag. “Then what good am I to Captain Turtle anyways?”

**

The afternoon classes that day were awkward, to say the least. Adrien wore the scarf Marinette had given him, even inside, fiddling with the soft fabric whenever he felt upset or guilty about his friend getting akumatized.

When the school day ended, he prepared to head home, have his Chinese lesson before his birthday dinner, where maybe he’d be allowed a slice of cake to celebrate.

However, his driver wasn’t outside the school.

Instead, Marinette came from behind him and abruptly looped her arm in his, tugging him down the stairs. “You’re coming with me,” she said in a tone that left no room for argument. “Your plans are changed.”

“I have to get home—” he tried to protest, but she interrupted him.

“Don’t worry, you’re still having your Chinese lesson. I cleared it with your, uh—Nathalie.”

“Really?” he asked. “What did you do?”

She turned slightly to give him a smile. “My mom was born in Sichuan. You’re just going to get a practical lesson in conversations today. And if _I_ happen to have some friends in _my_ home while you’re there, and if Papa _happens_ to make a spare cake that he can’t sell at the bakery today…well, what your father doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?”

Adrien broke into a wide grin. “I think I love you,” he said, before he realized he was saying it.

Marinette just giggled, not understanding how seriously he meant that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: A Christmas Special


	6. A Christmas Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's first Christmas without his mother brings its own problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's February but whatever, have some Christmas

Marinette spent her Christmases busy every year. Each Christmas Eve, the bakery would be flooded with people picking up their ordered buche de noel, or those who just needed last minute Christmas sweets. She woke up far too early to arrange her Christmas presents for her friends, ready to hand them out with the cakes.

“You’re busy as a bee!” Pollen commented as she helped Marinette apply nametags to gift bags. “Of _course_ , there’s nothing wrong with this, but I thought Christmas was a time of relaxation for people?”

“Not for me,” Marinette replied with a grin. “I have to make sure all the presents are perfect! I can’t leave anyone out, not even Chloe!”

Pollen buzzed directly into her face, her small arms crossed over herself. “My Queen, you must calm down! Don’t you remember what I’ve told you?”

Marinette took a deep breath and repeated from memory, “I don’t need to buy friendship with gifts, because I am a Queen and worthy of affection on my own.”

“That’s right,” Pollen said with a proud smile. “And if you don’t learn to have confidence in yourself, I’ll sting you!”

“You don’t have a stinger,” Marinette said as she fondly rubbed her kwami’s head. “Oh! I made a present for you, too!”

She reached into a drawer and pulled out a kwami-size cape lined with faux fur.

“For me?” Pollen asked, excitedly trying on the gift. “Really?”

Marinette nodded. “You’re my friend, so you get a gift too. A cape fit for the Queen you are.”

Pollen nuzzled against Marinette’s cheek happily. “I love you, Marinette!”

**

Adrien was decorating the tree with Nathalie that Christmas Eve when he asked, casually, “Do you think my Father will want to join us?”

Nathalie just shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry, Adrien. You know he’s busy at this time of year.”

“Yeah,” Adrien replied simply, turning his attention back to the tree. He focused very intently on what ornament went where, ignoring the memories of Christmases past that flit through his mind.

His bodyguard returned with the Christmas cake, and handed Adrien a gift bag.

“Thank you,” Adrien said simply, heading up to his room to stow it away.

Once he was alone, Wayzz popped out from his hiding spot in Adrien’s shirt to ask, “What’s wrong, young master?”

“It’s my first Christmas without my mom,” he replied morosely, idly playing with a ribbon on the gift bag. “It just—it doesn’t feel like Christmas.”

Wayzz settled into his usual meditating position as he floated in front of Adrien. “You rarely speak of her. If you want to share your memories, you know I am here to listen.”

Adrien shook his head. “I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to think about her. I just—I want the rest of the world to stop being so happy. Like she doesn’t matter.”

“That is understandable.”

“Everyone acts like I should just be able to get over it, because she’s just _gone_ , nothing _happened_ to her,” he continued, pacing around his room. “But it’s _worse_ , because she could be—I don’t know what happened to her, and no one will tell me!”

Wayzz said nothing, simply watched and listened.

Adrien’s pacing came to a halt as he flopped onto his bed. “I think my mom is dead.”

“Do you really believe that?”

He nodded. “She—she’d be back by now. She wouldn’t just leave me with—” He cut himself off abruptly, biting his lip. “Is it wrong to hope that she’s dead? Because if she’s still out there—she just—she forgot about me.”

Wayzz shook his head. “No one could simply forget about you. I am certain that no matter what, your mother is thinking about you right now.”

Adrien gave a slight smile before rolling over on the bed to grab the gift bag. “Might as well see what this is.” He pulled out the gift, a warm pair of gloves that matched the scarf he’d been given for his birthday.

“This says they are a gift from Marinette,” Wayzz said, reading the card inside the bag.

Adrien grinned, immediately pulling on the gloves. “They fit! She’s so amazing—I should go thank her!”

“Some time outside may do you some good,” Wayzz observed.

“Wayzz, shell on!”

**

As Captain Turtle ran across the rooftops, heading to Marinette’s house, he noticed some kids laughing and throwing snowballs at—a _sleigh_?

He dropped down, startling when he noticed there was a man sitting in the sleigh, simply receiving the abuse with a sad look on his face.

“Hey! Kids!” he called. “Leave the man alone—go be with your family! It’s Christmas!”

“Sorry, Captain Turtle!” one of the kids cried as they ran away.

“Are you all right, sir?” he asked the man in the sleigh, a dead ringer for Santa Claus.

“I am,” he replied with a warm smile. “What are you doing out so late on Christmas Eve, young man?”

Captain Turtle blushed as he admitted, “I wanted to thank a friend for her present.”

“She must be a very special friend indeed.”

“She is,” he agreed with a lovesick sigh. “She’s the best.”

“Do you want a ride?” Santa asked.

Captain shook his head. “She just lives down the block. I’ll be fine, but thank you.”

“You have a very merry Christmas, young man,” Santa replied with a nod before sleighing away.

Outside of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Captain Turtle transformed back to Adrien before bounding up the steps and ducking his head into the business.

“Adrien?” Sabine asked him, surprised. “Your bodyguard picked up your cake already. Shouldn’t you be at home?”

“I—yeah, I probably should,” Adrien admitted. “I just wanted to come by and thank Marinette for these gloves!”

Sabine just smiled. “She’s upstairs. Go ahead up, dear.”

Adrien grinned before heading up the stairs to their home. He knocked at the front door of the apartment and was greeted by Marinette a moment later. She had flour on her cheek, and she looked adorable.

“Hi,” she said, opening the door wider. “I’m glad to see you, but—why are you here?”

“I wanted to say thank you,” he replied. “And, well, home doesn’t feel a lot like Christmas right now.”

Her smile fell, replaced by pitying eyes. He could just stare into her eyes forever.

“Well, come on, then,” she said. “I’m making some sugar cookies. You can help me decorate them, then we’ll go outside and watch for Santa together, okay?”

“Santa?”

She giggled and blushed, somehow looking even cuter. “I know it’s silly, but it’s a Christmas tradition for me. It’s nice to be outside tonight, when it’s all quiet and peaceful.”

“It sounds really nice,” he said with a grin. “I’d love to help with the cookies, too.”

She led him into the kitchen, where trays of sugar cookies were laid out and resting. “They’re cooling now, so I’m just making the icing. What colors do you think we need?”

“Colors?” he asked cluelessly. “Um, red and green?”

She nodded, grabbing a mixing bowl and some food dye. Adrien watched in amazement as Marinette expertly mixed up icing, separated it, and colored it before spooning it into a set of piping bags.

“You’re _incredible_ ,” he said, awed.

She blushed. “I just do this a lot.” She handed him a bag full of green icing. “Here. Decorate them however you want.”

The flour was still on her face, and before he knew what he was doing, his hand was on her cheek, gently brushing it away. “S-sorry,” he said. “There was flour.”

“I-it’s okay,” she replied with a soft smile. “Happens a lot.”

Adrien’s hands were shaking as he tried to pipe icing onto a tree-shaped cookie. He watched Marinette, her hands steady and sure as she drew elegant flowers on a round cookie. “How are you so good at this?”

“Practice,” she replied. “Do you want some help?”

He nodded dumbly, his mouth suddenly going dry as Marinette’s hands covered his.

“Breathe,” she said. “If you’re overthinking it, your hands will shake. Just inhale, and while you exhale, squeeze the bag slightly and move.”

He took a breath in, and squeezed the bag on the exhale. It left a solid line of icing up the middle of the tree.

“Good!” Marinette said with a grin. “You’re a natural!”

He focused hard on icing the rest of the cookies, determined to make her proud. Focusing on the cookies meant that he _wasn’t_ focused on how Marinette stuck out the tip of her tongue as she concentrated, or how she smelled like vanilla and plum blossoms.

When the cookies were done, Marinette led Adrien up to her bedroom and out onto the balcony. “Stay here,” she said. “I’m going to get us some blankets.”

Adrien stayed put, nibbling a cookie while he waited.

She returned with two thick blankets, draping one around his shoulders before relaxing under the other one. “There,” she said with a satisfied grin. “Now it’s Christmas.”

“Definitely feels more like Christmas here than at my house,” Adrien murmured, taking a large bite of cookie.

Marinette frowned. “Are you okay at home?” she asked. “I know your dad’s a bit…strict, but you’re doing okay, right? He’s not…”

“Oh!” Adrien said, coughing on a cookie crumb as her implication hit. “No. He’s just not around as often as I’d like. Everything’s okay, just kind of empty without my mom.”

“Do you want to talk about her?”

He sighed. “I—I don’t know.”

“Okay,” she said softly. “If you want to talk, I’ll listen, but that’s entirely up to you.”

Adrien just nodded, eating another cookie. “Thank you, Marinette. You’re really the best.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, eating the cookies, until Adrien happened to look up.

“Did you decorate out here for Christmas, too?”

“Why do you ask?” She followed his gaze and blushed when she saw the sprig of mistletoe hanging over their heads. “Oh…”

“W-we can just ignore it,” Adrien said, his face flaming red. “I—if you—I mean—”

“It’s fine,” Marinette said with a grin, laughter in her voice. “Let me just get a bit closer.”

She leaned over to him, lips puckered as she went for his cheek, a soft sweet kiss that had him blushing a beet red.

They sat there in silence for a moment after until Adrien said, “I—I should get home. Good night, Marinette.”

“Good night,” she said softly as he left through the trapdoor.

**

Later that night, when everyone in the city should have been asleep, Adrien was itching to leave his house again.

His father hadn’t even noticed he’d been gone for hours earlier that day, so why should he stay at home in his cold, dark room?

He transformed and headed outside again, his feet carrying him straight to Marinette’s. As he approached, he saw a figure bundled up on her balcony.

Had she fallen asleep out there? He leapt over and landed beside the bundle of blankets, which did contain one Marinette, asleep and shivering slightly.

He couldn’t leave her there. He moved to open her trapdoor before gently lifting the pile of blankets off the lounge seat. “Come on, Princess,” he murmured softly, trying not to wake her. “Your warm bed awaits.”

Marinette stirred in his arms, her eyes opening slightly. “Captain?”

“Just getting you to bed,” he said with a grin, ignoring the way his pulse raced at her sleepy smile.

Her eyes flicked up, and she murmured sleepily, “There’s mistletoe…”

“Do you want a kiss?” he asked with a teasing grin, carrying her to the trapdoor. “Get inside first.”

He lowered her to her bed, making sure the blankets were still secure around her.

“You promised me a kiss,” she murmured, her voice thick and slurring with sleep.

“I did,” he said, still grinning, his heart pounding in his chest. “A-are you sure?”

“My Captain,” she murmured, one arm escaping the blanket bundle so she could hold onto his wrist. “Kiss me, Cap.”

Marinette’s lips were soft and sweet and tasted like cookies. He could have stayed bundled in that warm cocoon of blankets with her all night, let her rest her head on his shoulder as he slept beside her. But instead, he settled for holding her close as he kissed her, letting her pull away when she was done.

“Merry Christmas, Cap,” she said with a grin.

“Merry Christmas, Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooh I wonder if this will mean anything


	7. Dark Cupid

_Your hair as dark as night, your eyes as blue as…_

Adrien groaned as he crossed out the lines written on the page. He stole a glance across the aisle to see Marinette sitting at her desk, tongue poking out of her mouth as she focused on drawing something.

Miss Bustier was lecturing, something about true love and themes in Perrault’s fairytales. An appropriate enough topic for Valentine’s Day. Adrien wasn’t really paying attention as he tried to find a word to describe Marinette’s eyes. Bluebell, maybe?

When the bell rang, Adrien tucked his poem in his pocket. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to give it to Marinette—what if she laughed at him?

His path out of the classroom was blocked by Chloe and Sabrina. Chloe snapped her fingers and Sabrina unfurled the bottom half of a poster.

“Adrikins!” Chloe cried. “Can you please sign this? It’s a petition for poor abused hamsters!”

Adrien just raised an eyebrow. “That’s clearly a poster of me, and you know I hate giving autographs, so no.”

“Ugh!” Chloe exclaimed, stomping away. “You could have just done something _nice_ for me, Adrien!”

From behind Adrien, Marinette giggled. “She’s been bringing posters autographed by you to show off every Valentine’s Day for years. Were they actually signed by you, or…?”

Adrien turned around to see the absolute angel in human form smiling at him. “Uh, yeah, she got a few autographs out of me before I figured out what was going on. I—if I’m going to give someone a valentine, I want it to be genuine, you know?” He unconsciously shoved one hand in his pocket, fingers playing with the paper of the poem.

Marinette nodded. “Understandable.”

“So!” Adrien said, his voice too loud, “A-are you giving anyone a valentine this year?”

She blushed and glanced away. “I’d like to, but—I don’t know if I’ll even see him, let alone be able to give him a valentine that I don’t even have for him yet.”

Adrien’s heart shattered. She did love someone else. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, leaving the poem alone to throw away later. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to be your valentine, Marinette,” he said, trying to sound genuinely happy for his _friend_.

She gave him a brilliant smile before moving past him and walking out of the classroom.

In the back of his mind, he thought about that kiss on Christmas for the billionth time. It was _just_ mistletoe. She hadn’t seemed any different after that.

Then again, he hadn’t met her again as _Captain Turtle_ , either.

“Hey, Wayzz,” he said quietly as he walked out of the school, “would it be okay to transform so I could talk to Marinette?”

“It is…not wise,” Wayzz replied. “The Miraculous are not meant to be used for personal gain. I would not stop you, but the universe will find a way to right the imbalance of you creating your own fate.”

Adrien sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Besides, it’s not like she’d really care about Captain Turtle _that_ much.”

**

Meanwhile, Marinette was at home, determined to create the perfect valentine for Captain Turtle.

“What do you think he’d like, Pollen?” she asked. “I could embroider some hearts onto a scarf or a beret for him…or maybe just a card expressing my love for him?”

“Whatever you make him, as long as it’s from the heart, he’ll appreciate it,” Pollen said. “How could he not love you?”

“Making something from the heart,” she murmured. “Of course! I’ll bake him some honey macarons!”

“That sounds perfect!” Pollen cried. “And maybe a few extra for us to share, my Queen?”

Marinette giggled. “Of course.”

She headed down to the kitchen to bake her treats. As the cookies were cooling, Alya burst into the room, carrying two candied apples from the bakery below.

“M!” she cried. “Your dad makes the _best_ treats. What are you up to?”

“I’m making some honey macarons,” she replied. “Just something sweet for Valentine’s Day.”

“Sounds awesome!” Alya said. “Are they for someone special?”

“I, uh,” Marinette stammered, “for Captain Turtle? As a thank you, for, you know, saving the city all the time…”

“Aw, that’s cute,” Alya said. “But _maybe_ you should think about giving some to classmates? Like a certain blond boy with a total thing for you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Adrien does _not_ have a thing for me. We’re just friends.”

“He’s head over heels in love with you,” Alya replied. “I bet he’s going to ask you to be his Valentine!”

Marinette shook her head, focusing on making the buttercream for the filling. “So have you given Nino anything yet?”

“Nino?” she scoffed. “I don’t like him. He’s just a weird kid in our class.”

Marinette just shrugged.

“Oh, by the way, I ran into Kim,” Alya said. “He’s giving some lucky girl a really pretty piece of jewelry. Wouldn’t tell me who, though.”

“I’m sure it’ll work out for him,” Marinette said with a smile. “Kim’s a good guy.”

Their phones both chimed, and they pulled them out to see the mass message Chloe had sent to the class—a picture of Kim, holding out a piece of jewelry, water and trash all over him.

“Ugh, it _had_ to be Chloe,” Marinette groaned. “We should go check on him, make sure he’s okay.”

Alya nodded. “You good with the macarons?”

“They can rest for a while.”

**

“I’m going to tell Marinette I love her,” Adrien said to Wayzz, having made up his mind while working on his homework. “Next time I see her, no matter if I’m transformed or not. I’m going to tell her.”

“Young Master, _no_ ,” Wayzz said firmly. “Tell her as _yourself_ —your identity cannot be compromised by your emotions!”

“But I can’t wait!” Adrien exclaimed, leaning back in his chair. “What if she does have feelings for Captain Turtle? Why can’t I tell her I love her, date her, and live happily ever after on a deserted island with a hamster named—”

“It is of _utmost_ importance that you do not reveal your identity, or put yourself in a position where you may have to!” Wayzz cried. “Adrien, _please_. If Marinette finds out you are Captain Turtle, then…you will need to give up your Miraculous. I will have to leave you.”

Adrien’s shoulders slumped. “You mean—I have to choose between you or Marinette?”

“No, not at all!” Wayzz replied, floating close to nuzzle against his holder’s cheek. “ _Captain Turtle_ cannot have a relationship, but _Adrien_ may do as he please. Marinette is a truly wonderful young woman, and I think you would be very happy with her.”

Adrien just nodded, sighing. “Can I at least transform to get out of the house?”

“Of course you may,” Wayzz said, waiting near the bracelet.

Captain Turtle raced across the rooftops until he was near Marinette’s place. He spotted her in the park with Alya, but before he could detransform and talk to her, an arrow flew past his cheek, suddenly striking Alya.

He turned to see a winged person aiming a bow and arrow—at _him_. “All alone on Valentine’s Day, Captain Turtle?” the akuma asked. “You _will be!_ ” He shifted the bow, pointing past Captain and directly at Marinette.

Captain Turtle’s heart beat wildly, and he found himself diving off the building, throwing himself in front of the arrow as it flew through the air.

**

Marinette was confused when Alya suddenly shoved her candied apple at her and ran off, and then terrified when, a moment later, she saw Captain Turtle diving off a rooftop. Without thinking, she ran towards where he fell, gently grabbing his arm to help him stand. “Are you okay?”

He glanced up at her and snarled, his lips turned black. “I’ll be fine once _you’re_ out of here,” he spat. “Get lost, _civilian_.”

She stepped back in surprise. “A-are you handling the akuma?”

“I’m not telling someone like _you_ anything.”

She bit her lip, trying to keep her breathing calm. There was someone literally _flying_ in the sky behind Captain—this _had_ to be an akuma. She could transform, and fix it.

So she turned and ran, glancing behind her to make sure Captain Turtle wasn’t following her. He wasn’t, of course—why would he be?

“Pollen, Buzz On!” Once she transformed, she raced back to see Captain Turtle still standing in the street, appearing dazed. “Captain!” she called.

“Honeybee?” he asked, confused. “I—where did Marinette go?”

“She ran away,” she said as she approached. “Why aren’t you going after the akuma?”

He shrugged. “I just don’t care anymore.”

Honeybee huffed in frustration. “Well, snap out of it, Cap! I need you!”

“Too bad,” he replied. “I think I’m going to go mess with her family’s bakery. That’ll show that brat.”

“Y-you really hate her, don’t you?”

“Well, what else would you call this, Honey?” Captain snarled. “True love?” He turned and ran down the street, heading straight for the bakery.

Honeybee swallowed hard, trying to focus on the akuma instead of her heartbreak. Something about what Captain had said—hadn’t Miss Bustier mentioned earlier that true love conquers all?

Every fairytale curse was broken with true love’s kiss. So maybe, just maybe, she _could_ save her partner.

She ran after him, using her trompo to swing past buildings with ease, catching up to Captain Turtle just as he arrived outside the bakery. “Venom!” she cried before tossing her weapon at Captain.

He froze as soon as the trompo touched him, letting Honeybee approach him cautiously.

“I really hope this works,” she muttered before gently pressing a kiss against his lips.

He didn’t react, of course, but the black faded from his lips, making him look normal again. Honeybee breathed a sigh of relief before dashing off to transform back and let her Venom fade away.

**

Captain Turtle felt like he was coming out of some sort of strange fog. One minute he’d been taking an arrow for Marinette, the next he was frozen in place in front of her family’s bakery.

When he could move again, his gaze darted up towards the sky, where the akuma still floated, a grin on his face as he watched his carnage.

Captain _hated_ not knowing what was happening, and this akuma clearly messed with his mind in some way. So he hurled his shield up towards the floating Dark Cupid, letting it hit against the bow the akuma had slung over his shoulder.

The akuma turned back into Kim, who started plummeting towards the ground as the black butterfly flew away. Captain froze for a minute, not sure what to do—but then a yellow and black blur ran past him, crying, “Get the akuma! I’ll save Kim!”

Honeybee swung on her trompo, catching the falling boy in her arms. Captain Turtle used the time to hurl his shield forward again, this time catching the butterfly in it.

“Miracle Turtle!” he cried, letting the healing light wash over the area.

“Nice job!” Honeybee congratulated him with a grin. “Y-you did really good!”

“Thanks,” he responded. “What did I _do_ , though? I can’t remember all of it.”

The smile dropped from her face. “You were saying you hated some girl, and you were going to destroy her family’s bakery.”

He glanced at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and ice gripped at his chest. “Oh. Thanks for stopping me! That was you, right?”

She nodded. “I’m just glad you’re okay now.”

**

Later, as the sun was starting to set, Marinette brought a tray of macarons up to her balcony, setting them out in the open.

If Captain Turtle didn’t notice them, then at least the squirrels and pigeons would have a nice surprise.

As she was heading back inside, she heard a soft _thump_ from behind her. She turned to see Captain Turtle standing there, giving her a soft smile. “Hi.”

“H-hi,” she said. “I—it’s sood to gee you. Good to see you.”

He reached to scratch the back of his neck. “I, uh—apparently I said earlier that I hate you? I just wanted to let you know—I don’t hate you. I could _never_ hate you.”

She smiled. “That’s—thank you. Oh! I—um, made you something, if you want…”

“You did?” he asked with a wide grin. “Really?”

She stepped past him to pick up the tray of macarons. “I hope you like them.”

He took one and bit into it carefully, smiling as he let the flavor coat his tongue. “This is _amazing_ , Marinette. Thank you.”

She blushed, and she was _adorable_. “I—Cap—will you vee my balentine?” Her face flamed red and she brought up a hand to cover her face. “Be my Valentine?” she asked again, softly.

He wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her until he was dizzy. But instead, he pulled his hand away from the tray of cookies and said, “I can’t.”

Her face fell. “Oh. I—sorry.”

“It’s not that I don’t like you!” he added quickly. “It’s—I’m a hero, you know? I _can’t_ be involved with anyone like that.”

Marinette got an odd expression suddenly, but she nodded.

“I think you’re _incredible_ ,” Captain Turtle said, “and if I _could_ , I—I can’t, though.”

“I understand,” she said softly. “I guess I’ll see you around, then?”

“Yeah,” he said, regret in his own voice. “I’m sorry, Marinette.”

She turned and headed back into her bedroom as Captain leapt away from her balcony, neither of them happy with how this turned out.

Marinette lay on her bed, clutching her cat pillow to her chest. “Well, at least I kissed him,” she muttered. “Even though it was an akuma and he didn’t know it was me.”

Pollen settled into her hair, gently patting her head with her arm nubs. “If it’s meant to be, it’ll work out,” she said. “I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY
> 
> next episode is Horrificator


	8. Horrificator

Nino just wanted to make a simple movie with his friends. Why had it turned out so hard?

Mylene, the lead actress in his _horror movie_ , was scared of the monster mask they were using. And since Miss Bustier had insisted the _entire class_ help him out, Chloe was there, being as Chloe as always.

So, only five minutes into the shoot, their lead actress ran away crying. Nino let out a sigh of frustration, but luckily, Marinette was _good_ at her job as producer.

“Ivan, go see if you can find Mylene,” she said to the large boy with a smile. “I know you can calm her down.”

Ivan nodded and left the room.

“Chloe,” Marinette said harshly. “What are you even _doing_ here? The rest of us have jobs for Nino’s movie.”

Chloe gave an overly dramatic haughty sniff. “I’m the understudy. And _when_ Haprele can’t do the job, I’ll fill in for her, and I’ll do the kissing scene with Adrikins!”

“What kissing scene?” Adrien and Alya asked, simultaneously.

“I changed a few things,” Nino admitted to an irate Alya. “I know it’s your script, but I’m the director!”

“You really didn’t know?” Marinette asked Adrien. “Have you not read the script you were supposed to memorize?”

Adrien smiled sheepishly. “Well, usually I don’t have to memorize anything longer than a commercial…”

She rolled her eyes at him, and a pang of guilt went through him at disappointing her.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll make sure to get it on time.”

“We should totally change Agent Smith into a nurse,” Chloe said, out of nowhere.

All eyes turned to her, and Nino rubbed at his temples as he flatly asked, “What?”

She shrugged. “I look totally hot in a nurse’s outfit.”

“You know what, you’re right,” Marinette said, plastering a smile on her face that nearly everyone but Chloe could see was fake. “Why don’t you go get a nurse’s uniform?”

Chloe smiled. “I knew you’d see how brilliant I am. Max, Kim, come with me.”

As the boys followed her out of the classroom, Alya sidled up to Adrien. “You know, if Marinette gets cast as the lead, that means you get to kiss her.”

“I thought you didn’t want the kiss scene in there?” Adrien asked.

She shrugged. “Well, I’ll make an exception for Adrienette.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “You came up with a ship name for us?”

“Marinette, you should totally be the lead!” Alya cried, turning away from him. “Mylene and Chloe are both gone, you know the lines, you can take the part and we can keep going!”

Marinette shook her head. “No way. Even for a movie, I’m not up for kissing _anyone_ right now.”

Alya just sighed and glanced back at Adrien. “She had her heart broken on Valentine’s Day by some guy. I thought she’d be over it by now, but I guess not.”

Adrien frowned, now feeling even worse.

He didn’t have time to think about that, though, as screams rang out from the school’s courtyard. The teenage film crew ran out to find pink slime strewn across the yard, a discarded armband and broken glasses resting in it.

“Looks like an akuma,” Marinette said, kneeling by the slime and running her finger through it. “We should probably hide.”

“Or we could get Principal Damocles!” Nino said, filming the slime. “A strong authority figure is just what the movie needs!”

Marinette gave a derisive snort as she stood and wiped the excess slime off her hands. “You really think _Damocles_ is a strong authority figure? I thought we were making a horror movie, not a fantasy.”

Adrien hung at the back of the crowd of teenagers, and as Nino and Marinette argued, he took the opportunity to slip away into an unused classroom.

“Wayzz, shell on!”

Out in the courtyard, Marinette threw up her hands. “You want to get Damocles? Instead of having Alya use her blog to alert the actual heroes? Fine. I’ll be hiding in this closet over here.”

She walked off in a huff, and no one noticed the flash of light coming from the closet a second later.

While the rest of the class herded around the school like confused sheep, Captain Turtle and Honeybee emerged from their respective hiding places and met in the courtyard.

“Looks like we just got here in time,” Captain said, nodding to the slime rapidly encasing the school overhead. “I mean, I definitely wasn’t already here.”

“Same,” Honeybee said, choosing not to read into that.

A scream rang out from another classroom. Captain and Honeybee ran to find a large pink slime monster grabbing Nathaniel by the leg and sucking him into its gelatinous body.

“That’s pretty gross,” Honeybee commented, wrinkling her nose. “But don’t worry, everyone! Captain Turtle and I are here to help!”

“Awesome,” Juleka said, flashing the heroes a rare smile.

Captain Turtle noticed that as the class was distracted, the monster seemed to shrink slightly. It snarled and then roared, growing in size as the students left in the class screamed loudly.

“It’s feeding on their fear,” he said as he stared at the creature.

Honeybee glanced at him and nodded. She squared her shoulders, determined, and launched her trompo at the creature, catching one of the tendrils on its head.

The creature just responded by shooting a spray of slime at her, which she deftly dodged, heading out of the classroom to lure the creature away from the rest of the teens.

Captain Turtle followed her, motioning for the rest of the class to stay close to him. Once they were in the courtyard, Honeybee did a flip, landing right beside Captain.

“Shellter!” he cried, raising a shield around the teens. Unfortunately, Ivan was a little too far away, and the shield cut him off.

The tall boy kept his head up and his face determined as the monster approached him. It sniffed him once, twice, then licked his face and scampered away like an oversized dog.

“Mylene?” Ivan asked as the creature bound away from him. “Guys, it’s Mylene!”

Captain Turtle let the shield drop. “We should follow her. Ivan, come with us, the rest of you, stay here.”

“Why me?” Ivan asked.

“Because Mylene loves you,” Honeybee said, giving him a smile as she led him to follow the slime trail down to the school’s maintenance room.

**

The maintenance room was covered in pink slime, dripping from the ceiling onto large egg-shaped pods. Honeybee jammed the point of her trompo into one of the pods and cracked it open. “Max!”

The boy inside stirred, but seemed to be asleep.

“There’s people in the pods!” Honeybee cried as she cracked open another.

Captain Turtle followed suit, cracking open pods and revealing classmates. After a moment, he grew panicked as he noticed someone was _missing_ from the class. “Where’s Marinette?”

“I found her!” Honeybee called from across the room, ignoring the way her heart _wrenched_ at Captain’s relieved sigh.

Ivan, meanwhile, slowly approached the large pink monster. “Mylene?” he asked hesitantly. “Are you in there?”

The creature growled softly, curling up on herself.

Ivan reached out one hand and stroked the monster’s side, turning her growling to something more akin to purring. “Smelly wolf, smelly wolf,” he sang, under his breath and off-key. “Stinky breath and slimy drool…”

Mylene extended one of her head tendrils towards him, her eyes slowly blinking.

“That’s the pin I gave you,” Ivan said, gently taking it. “Is this where your akuma thingy is?”

“You have to break it!” Captain Turtle said, noticing what was going on. “Break the pin and then I’ll fix everything.”

Ivan curled his hand around the pin, crushing it. A black butterfly flew out as Mylene transformed back to normal.

Captain threw his shield at the butterfly, catching and purifying it before calling out, “Miracle Turtle!”

**

“I’m not afraid, Officer Jones!” Mylene said, determination etched in her face.

“I’ll protect you no matter what,” Ivan replied. He gently pulled her close and leaned down to kiss her, a passionate moment that had the background music swelling dramatically.

Adrien in a monster mask approached the two, holding his hands like claws as he growled.

“Get behind me, Agent Smith!” Ivan cried, grabbing a cardboard cutout from a gun just from offscreen.

The student film stopped abruptly, causing the students watching it to groan.

“Disqualified,” Mayor Bourgeois said, turning off the TV before looking at the teenagers. “The rules were clear—no guns.”

“That’s clearly not a real gun though!” Nino argued.

“I’m sorry, but the rules are the rules,” the mayor replied. “It shows promise, though—keep it up, and you may have a bright career in filmmaking ahead of you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: The Mime


	9. The Mime

“Marinette!” Alya cried, running into her friend’s bedroom. “Oh my god, look at this!”

Alya shoved her phone into Marinette’s hand and showed a brief clip of Captain Turtle after an akuma battle. He pushed past another reporter to ask, “Hey, Alya, right? Your blog is pretty awesome, thanks for keeping it up!” He then saluted and jumped away from the crowd.

Marinette remembered—she was there, hanging out on a rooftop waiting for her partner to deal with the crowd. Not many people were interested in interviewing the sidekick.

“Marinette?” her mother suddenly called from downstairs. “You have some more visitors!”

“Oh!” Marinette said, jumping up abruptly, knocking the phone from Alya’s hand. “That’s M. Haprele waiting for his hat, probably.”

“Mylene’s dad?” Alya asked, catching her phone just in time. “What hat?”

“He’s a mime, and he needed his hat fixed for a big performance,” Marinette explained, grabbing a bowler hat from her desk and heading out of her bedroom. “Just gonna drop this off real quick, and then we can fangirl over Captain Turtle together, okay?”

Down in the living room, M. Haprele and Mylene stood waiting for Marinette.

“Ah, thank you!” M. Haprele said, taking the hat. “You even put the hidden pocket inside, thank you, Marinette!” He pulled a small slip of paper from his pocket and slid it into the hat before place it on his head.

“What’s that?” Marinette asked curiously.

“A picture of Mylene,” M. Haprele replied, “so I have my best girl by my side the whole time.”

“You’re gonna be great, Dad,” Mylene said. “You should go ahead, I’ll go with the girls to the show.”

  1. Haprele kissed his daughter’s forehead before waving goodbye to the rest of the group.



“Oh, hey, Mylene, you’ve _got_ to see this cool video I got!” Alya said, pulling out her phone to pull up the Captain Turtle video. “I wish I could just get Honeybee to talk to me. She doesn’t talk to _anyone_.”

“Well, she is just the sidekick, isn’t she?” Marinette asked.

“Yeah, but she still _matters_ ,” Alya replied, no clue that her words made Marinette’s spirits lift a bit.

“We should get going to the show,” Mylene said. “I want to make sure we’re right in front!”

**

As the girls headed to the show together, they suddenly heard screaming and car alarms in the distance.

“Akuma!” Alya said, too excited for her own good.

“Oh, shoot,” Marinette said suddenly. “I just remembered I need to do some shopping for my parents—I’m going to go do that, I’ll meet you two at the show! Alya, don’t die.”

“No promises!” her friend said with a laugh, running towards the sound of screams.

Marinette sighed and ran into a nearby alley to transform.

**

Captain Turtle was already in battle with the villainous Mime when Honeybee arrived. Her presence distracted the villain long enough to send his invisible bazooka flying past Captain and exploding a building behind him.

“Cap!” Honeybee cried. “Are you all right?”

“Just peachy, Honey!” he replied, wielding his shield in front of him to ward off attacks from an invisible whip. “I think the akuma’s in his hat. It looks like the right color.”

Honeybee studied the villain, looking a little too closely as she didn’t him throwing the invisible whip towards her. It wrapped around her suddenly, catching her off-guard, making her trip into Captain.

The two heroes stumbled to the ground together, Honeybee unable to move. The Mime hopped onto an invisible motorcycle and drove off.

As he did, the whip disappeared from Honeybee. “Strange,” she muttered. “I think maybe he can only mime one thing at a time?”

“That explains why he couldn’t attack me when he had walls around him,” Captain said. “Let’s follow him.”

They raced through the city, chasing the Mime until they caught up to him by the Eiffel Tower.

“I think I can grab his hat,” Honeybee said, idly stretching the string of her trompo. “But that’d mean you’d have to distract him, and if you get hurt…”

“I won’t,” Captain said with an easy grin. “I trust my partner.”

Emotions bubbled within her, joy and hope, but she pushed them down, focusing on the task at hand. “I’ll go from behind.”

Captain nodded and dashed into the square in front of the tower, waving his arms to catch the Mime’s attention. The villain turned towards him and mimed a pistol, leveling the invisible weapon towards Captain Turtle’s heart.

Captain held up his shield, ready to deploy Shellter when he needed it, but just as Mime cocked the pistol, his hat was knocked off his head by a trompo hitting him from behind.

“Cap!” Honeybee cried. “Catch it!”

He did, and he tore the hat in two, sending the pieces falling to the ground. No butterfly came out of the felt halves, leaving Captain confused as the Mime aimed his pistol again.

There was a loud _BANG_ , but Captain was just knocked out of breath as Honeybee’s trompo wrapped around him and yanked him out of the path of the invisible bullet. She landed on the ground beside him, recalling her weapon. She didn’t look at him, just studied the hat pieces on the ground.

Honeybee bent over and plucked a small piece of paper from _inside_ the hat, tearing it in half. A black butterfly flitted out, starting to flap away as Captain Turtle hurled his shield at it.

“Miracle Turtle!” he cried, tossing the shield into the air and sending out the slow wave of green healing light.

Beside him, Honeybee fell to the ground, her nerves finally overtaking her ability to stand. Captain turned to her just as she let out a choked sob.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, holding out a hand to her to help her up.

“He almost got you,” she replied in a soft voice. “He almost—I can’t do this without you, Cap. I can’t get the akuma, or fix everything, or—I’m just the sidekick, I should be taking the hits for you.”

Once she stood, Captain moved his arm around her, pulling her into a hug. “I’m safe because of you,” he said. “You’re my _partner_ , not my sidekick. You saved me. I don’t think I could do this without _you_.”

She looked at him, her eyes full of unshed tears, her face close to his—too close. She took a step back. “We should probably go. The job’s done, right?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “I’ve got somewhere to be, anyways.”

She just nodded before running off, not looking back at her _partner_.

**

The mime show was great, M. Haprele killing it as the lead. Marinette enjoyed it from the front row, sitting between Mylene and Adrien. Alya had switched with Adrien at the last minute, a conniving smile on her face as she wouldn’t tell Marinette _why_.

Adrien, for his part, could barely pay attention to the show as Marinette laughed and her face lit up while she watched. He was always glad for the small moments he was allowed with his friends— _especially_ the moments with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: Princess Fragrance


	10. Princess Fragrance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so you're aware: there's some Fu salt here.

Wayzz spent most of his nights exploring the Agreste manor.

There were rooms Adrien never dared to go into. Some of them made sense—what use would a teenage boy have for a laundry room when he apparently had staff handling the chores for him? And others made sense in a different way. There was one room, a lovely sitting room, with a piano and a variety of awards for an Emilie Agreste. Wayzz understood why Adrien wouldn’t go in there—but he wasn’t sure why it was locked so securely.

Nooroo’s presence was constantly strong, but Wayzz could never find his fellow kwami.

He needed guidance from the Guardian—maybe a potion or something that could heighten his senses. Yet how was he to meet the Guardian again without letting Adrien know what was happening?

**

Adrien’s school day was completely normal. He sat in chemistry class and tuned out Mme Mendeleiev in favor of watching Marinette sketch something at her seat. He already knew everything from this lesson anyways, and his seat across from Marinette in Bustier’s class meant he didn’t get to just admire her as often as he wanted to.

His attention was suddenly pulled by a loud noise as Mme Mendeleiev showed a spritz of perfume erupting into flame. He figured he should pay attention to class after that.

**

When Adrien had a moment alone at the end of the day, Wayzz peered out of his shirt pocket and whispered, “Ma—Adrien! I am—ill, and you must take me to a healer!”

“Right now?” he asked in a hushed tone, furtively glancing around to make sure no one saw him talking to his pocket. “The Gorilla’s going to pick me up—do you think you’re healthy enough for Captain Turtle to take you?”

Wayzz hesitated. “I—that would not be ideal.”

“Then it’s going to have to wait,” he replied with a sigh. “I’m sorry, if I had any other choice…”

“I know,” the kwami said simply. He didn’t _like_ lying to his holder, but it was necessary. Besides, he could wait another day without issue—Nooroo wasn’t going to be _more_ lost.

Adrien headed out of the locker room and to the waiting car, noticing Marinette talking to Rose as he left.

“I think it’s a really nice letter, Rose,” Marinette said, looking over the admiring note the blonde had written for the visiting Prince Ali. “I just don’t know if asking Chloe to give it to him is the best idea…”

“I know she’s been really mean in the past, but she can be a good person too!” Rose said with a grin.

“Um, what are you two losers doing in front of my limo?” Chloe asked suddenly, approaching the girls. “Move it.”

“Chloe!” Rose cried. “Since Prince Ali is staying at your hotel—would you be able to give this to him?” She handed over the note with a shaking hand.

Chloe, surprisingly, smiled. “Of course I can!” She gave a dismissive wave before moving past them and getting into her limo.

“See, Marinette? She can be nice!”

As the limo pulled away from the curb, a perfectly manicured hand reached out the window and dropped pieces of paper into the gutter.

Marinette frowned, knowing exactly what that was. “Uh, Rose…”

The blonde’s happiness had vanished, and she hesitantly walked over to pick up one of the torn and dirty pieces of her letter. “Oh. I guess you were right.”

“Don’t let her get to you,” Marinette said. “She’s just a bully. You can rewrite it! And give it to Prince Ali yourself!”

Rose slowly shook her head. “Thanks, Marinette, but I’d really like to be alone right now.”

**

“An akuma has been sighted at Le Grand Paris,” a voice said over the car radio, “and appears to be holding the mayor and Prince Ali hostage.”

Adrien sat up when he heard that, and said to his driver, “Hey, I just remembered I forgot to grab some science notes from a friend of mine—and he lives right nearby, so I’m just going to hop out here, okay?”

The Gorilla just nodded and grunted.

Adrien got out of the car and _ran_ into a nearby alley, intending to transform. But as he paused to call out the transformation phrase, he suddenly remembered—Wayzz wasn’t feeling well, and couldn’t transform.

Instead, he grabbed a convenient motorcycle helmet from a trash can and jammed it over his head before sprinting towards the hotel.

“Why don’t you just transform?” Wayzz asked as he ran.

“You’re sick,” Adrien replied. “Wouldn’t be fair to make you do that. I’ll transform just long enough to purify the akuma, but otherwise, I’ll handle it, you rest.”

Wayzz settled back into his hiding spot, feeling uneasy as he faced the consequences of his lie.

**

Adrien arrived at the hotel and headed inside through a back entrance Chloe had once told him about. He wasn’t sure where the prince was staying, but he did know what level the best rooms were on, so he headed that way in the elevator.

At the same time, Honeybee dropped onto the roof of the hotel and ran inside to check on the penthouse suites.

Adrien came out of the elevator and bumped into the heroine, who backed away with an apology.

“It’s my fault,” he said, his voice muffled through the helmet. “Sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Honeybee admonished him. “You could get hurt.”

“I want to help,” he said adamantly.

“No!” she cried. “No, I-I don’t even know what the akuma is doing. And my partner isn’t here yet. I hope he’s okay…”

He could only blink in surprise at the raw worry that crossed her face, for just a moment, before she clenched her fist and stood up straight.

“All right, you want to help?” she asked. “Stay out here, and if something happens to me—find a reporter, let them know to tell Captain Turtle I need his help. I-I’m going to do what I can without him.”

She kicked open the door to one of the suites, and immediately coughed as a pink fog wrapped around her. Her coughs brought her to her knees, then she suddenly stood, her eyes glazing over.

Adrien ran.

**

Once Adrien was alone in the stairwell, Wayzz floated out of his pocket, stopping him in his tracks. “Adrien, please! You must transform!”

“But you’re sick!” Adrien replied. “I can’t do that to you!”

Wayzz hung his head in shame. “I—I am not ill, Master. I lied to you.”

Adrien was silent for a long moment before asking, “Why?”

“I swear to you, I will explain later,” the kwami replied. “But there is no time to lose! Please, transform!”

Captain Turtle ran out of the stairwell, and out of the hotel, finding a trail of pink smoke heading towards the river.

**

At the Pont des Arts, the akuma had everyone under her sway, _including_ Honeybee. Captain Turtle frowned, not liking the glazed look on his partner’s face.

He stood on a rooftop just out of reach of the pink gas, studying the scene. The akuma was probably in her weapon, the perfume bottle. One well-placed toss with his shield should break it…

He threw the shield, and breathed a sigh of relief as the bottle fell from the akuma’s hand and shattered on the ground. A black butterfly fluttered out from the pieces, only to be caught by the shield as it arced back around to Captain’s hand.

“Miracle Turtle!” he cried, and he stayed on that rooftop long enough to watch Honeybee snap out of whatever daze she was in. She glanced towards him, smiled, and gave him a thumbs-up.

Then, he felt safe to go down to the deserted alley below him and drop his transformation.

“What do you mean you _lied_?” he asked Wayzz as he gave the kwami a vegetable chip from his pocket.

“I’m sorry,” Wayzz replied. “I need to visit the Guardian, and I—Adrien, I’m not supposed to tell you about his existence, but this is _important_.”

“The Guardian?” Adrien asked. “Who is that?”

“Do you remember meeting an old man the day we met?” Wayzz asked. “He was judging you as a potential holder. I am with you know because he chose to give me to you.”

Adrien grimaced. “What if you didn’t _want_ to be given to me?”

“It doesn’t work that way,” the kwami replied simply. “The Guardian was my Master before you. I had to follow his orders.”

Adrien just sighed, leaning against the wall of the alley. “All right. I’ll take you to him. But, Wayzz?”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t lie to me again.”

**

Wayzz told Adrien the address of a massage parlor, which he claimed was the home of the Guardian. Adrien sent a quick text to the Gorilla, letting him know that he’d be a bit longer than expected with his ‘friend’.

The old Chinese man who answered the door seemed surprised to see Adrien, but quickly schooled his features. “What can I do for you, young man?”

Wayzz flew out of Adrien’s pocket and said, “Master, I must speak with you.”

“Way—what is this?” the man asked. “Some kind of toy?”

“Master, I have told him who you are,” Wayzz said. “I’m sorry, but it was important.”

The man’s gaze became grim with determination. “Come inside, quickly—before you are seen.”

Inside the building, Wayzz flitted about in clear distress, moving far more quickly than a turtle would be expected to do.

“My name is Master Fu,” the man said to Adrien. “I am the Guardian of the Miraculous. Would you like some tea?”

“I—okay,” Adrien said. He sat on the ground beside a small table, swallowing all the questions he had.

“I know you must have many questions,” Fu said as he poured a cup of tea for the boy, “but I must speak with Wayzz privately, I’m afraid. There is information that is dangerous for you to know.”

Adrien grimaced as he sipped the tea. Fu, misunderstanding, pushed a bottle of honey towards him.

“Master,” Wayzz said, urgency in his voice.

“Yes, of course,” Fu replied, walking towards another room and shutting the door behind him.

Adrien added some honey to the tea, and tried to enjoy the taste as he heard muffled voices from the other room. No matter how much honey he added, though, it was bitter.

Suddenly, Wayzz phased through the door and settled on the table in front of him. “Are you ready to go?”

“I have a lot more questions,” Adrien replied. “Is he—”

“He is not in a mood to answer,” the kwami said. “Come, I will tell you all I can at home.”

**

Wayzz explained what he could, all the while aware of the distrusting expression on his holder’s face.

“There are secrets the Guardian knows that not even we kwamis are allowed to know,” he said, “and I have been forbidden from sharing too much from you.”

“Why?” Adrien asked. “If I’m supposed to save the world, why aren’t I allowed to know _anything_?”

“The Guardian fears what Hawkmoth would do with the knowledge if you were to fail,” Wayzz replied. “I was speaking with him today to convince him that I may tell you more.”

“And?”

Wayzz just sighed, settling himself on Adrien’s bed. “Master Fu has forbidden it. Please understand, Adrien, I do not withhold information in order to harm you. I _cannot_ tell you.”

Adrien groaned, flopping back onto the mattress. “Doesn’t _anyone_ trust me?”

Wayzz floated directly into his line of sight and said, matter-of-fact, “Honeybee is—” His words were cut off by bubbles erupting from his mouth.

“Oh,” Adrien said, sitting up slightly. “You meant can’t, literally.”

“I trust you,” the kwami said, floating back down to sit on the bed. “I trust you will be the one to defeat Hawkmoth and save everyone. You’re a hero, Adrien.”

He smiled and gently patted Wayzz on the head. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: Darkblade


	11. Timebreaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one is a bit shorter--writer's block hits harder in quarantine

Marinette had two things to do: cheer on her friend Alix at an impromptu race, and deliver a cake to her parents’ friend Nadja. Easy enough.

She had made a banner for Alix, a fun project to use up the fabric scrap pile that had been slowly growing in her bedroom. As soon as her parents were gone for the evening, Marinette grabbed the banner and headed over to the Trocadero to meet her friends.

“Do you really think Kim even has a chance?” Alya asked her when she arrived.

Marinette shook her head. “No way. You can’t outrun someone on wheels.”

“Hey, Alya,” Alix said, skating up to the girls at the front of the small crowd. “Would you mind holding my watch? My old man just gave it to me. Family heirloom and all.”

“Sure!” Alya replied, taking the watch and immediately turning to Marinette. “You take this, I have to film.”

“Why did you say okay when you can’t actually hold it?” she asked. “I have to hold up the banner, anyways. Can anyone else hold Alix’s watch?”

“I can,” Adrien offered from behind her. He held out his hand, letting Alya place the watch safely in his palm.

“Ooh, what’s this?” Chloe suddenly asked. “It’s shiny, I want to see it.”

“Chloe, it’s not mine,” he replied. Hearing this, Marinette just rolled her eyes.

“I just want a better look,” she said, a whining pout clear in her voice. She snatched the watch out of Adrien’s hand.

“Chloe!” cried a voice from above them. “Put down the watch!”

The class looked up to see Captain Turtle, leaning over the top of the ledge as he yelled at the blonde. An akuma suddenly appeared beside him, a girl jumping over the edge to land on the ground beside the group of teens.

In surprise, Chloe dropped the watch on the ground, shattering it. Gears dropped to the ground and bounced away.

Alix skated to an abrupt stop and knelt down to pick up the remains of her family heirloom. “Ugh, _Chloe!_ ” she cried, as a mass of black and purple started to overtake her form.

“Everyone, _run!_ ” Captain Turtle cried.

As the teens scattered, Adrien slipped away and ran up to where his alter-ego stood. “What the _heck_ is happening?” he asked. “Are you really—”

“Yeah, I’m you,” Captain Turtle replied. “The akuma’s a time traveling one, I’m you ten minutes in the future.”

“Okay, cool,” Adrien replied. “Two of us means we take care of her quickly, right? Wayzz—”

“Wait!” Captain interrupted. “You need to go protect Marinette.”

Adrien glanced down to see Marinette running quickly away from the akuma. “She seems fine.”

“She’s not,” Captain replied. “Timebreaker gets her. She— _protect Marinette_.”

Adrien knew himself well enough to know when he was serious. He nodded and called for his transformation before running towards Marinette, intent on protecting her from the akuma—both of them.

Marinette ducked behind a lamppost, calling, “Pollen—” but cut off her words as she noticed Captain Turtle running straight for her.

“You need to come with me,” he said, holding out his hand to her. “Please, it’s important.”

“I—I need to go home and deliver a cake to Mrs. Chamack,” Marinette replied, quickly coming up with an excuse that wasn’t totally a lie. “I’ll be safe, I promise.”

“I’ll take you.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her close so he could sweep her into his arms before bounding across the rooftops, heading towards her family bakery.

Marinette took the opportunity to rest her head against his shoulder, her arms looped around his neck. Being in his arms made her stop worrying about the akuma altogether, but she had to ask, “Why me? The akuma wasn’t after me.”

“She was going to be,” Captain replied, his jaw set tight. “I can’t let you get hurt.”

He set her down in front of the bakery, where Nadja Chamack was waiting. Marinette pressed a quick kiss to her partner’s cheek before letting go of him and heading into the bakery.

“Sorry about that wait,” she said. “Akuma attack, but it’s all good now. Here’s your cake!”

As soon as the bakery was empty, Marinette transformed and headed right back to the fight.

The two Captain Turtles had dual Shellters in place, fending off attacks from the two Timebreakers. Honeybee perched herself on a nearby lamppost and studied the scene before crying out, “Venom!”

She tossed the trompo in a wide arc, hitting one Timebreaker in the face while the string tripped another, sending her sprawling. In perfect unison, the Captains dropped their shields and tossed them at the akuma rollerskates, breaking them and releasing two black butterflies.

“Miracle Turtle!” they cried, both throwing their shields in the air.

As the two Captain Turtles fused back into one, their memories combined—meaning he could suddenly remember Marinette running between him and the akuma, her arms spread wide to defend him, and her slowly vanishing into nothingness, leaving him alone and heartbroken.

No wonder he’d been so intent on protecting her.

Captain glanced towards his partner as she landed on the ground beside him. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she replied. “Are you? You look pretty dazed.”

He cracked a smile. “Let’s just say I know what it’s like to be in two places at once. I need to go, though—I’ve gotta check on someone.”

Honeybee waited until he was out of sight before _racing_ home. If that’s where Captain was going—and she hoped so—she needed to beat him there.

She saw the green-clad hero already on her balcony, so she entered through the bakery and ran upstairs to her room, nearly out of breath when she headed up through the trapdoor to face him.

“Cap?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”

Instead of answering, he rushed towards her and wrapped his arms tight around her, holding her close. “You’re okay,” he murmured. “You’re still here.”

“O-of course I am,” she replied, not making a move away from him. “What’s going on? Didn’t you defeat the akuma?”

“I did,” Captain replied, drawing back so he could look her in the eye. “But, before—you were gone. I’m sorry I couldn’t explain, but I couldn’t let it happen twice.”

She smiled. “Well, thank you. You kept me safe.”

“Marinette,” he murmured, moving his hand to cup her cheek. “There won’t always be convenient time travel. Please, _please_ don’t let yourself get hurt again.”

She pressed her hand over his. “I’ll do my best. But I know you’ll _always_ save me.”

Captain leaned towards her, tilting his head as he brought his lips close to hers. She shut her eyes expectantly, but only felt the briefest brush of his lips.

When she opened her eyes, he had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Rogercop


	12. Pixelator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two episodes in one!

“I understand,” Adrien said sadly into his phone. “I know, I know, he’s too busy. Thanks anyways, Nathalie.”

When he hung up the phone, he took a moment in the hallway to get his emotions in order. He should’ve known his father wouldn’t be interested in Parents’ Day, so why bother being sad about it?

“I’m sorry, Adrien,” Wayzz commented from within his pocket. “I am certain, if your father were available, he would be here.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said, nodding and wiping away a tear before it could fall. “Thanks.”

He headed into the classroom and took his seat just as Marinette’s father finished up his presentation.

Marinette presented a tray of croissants and started walking around the classroom distributing them, going up one side of the room and down the other. When she reached Adrien, she paused and frowned at the redness in his eyes.

She gave him two croissants before taking her seat.

Mayor Bourgeois gave his presentation—which, surprisingly, was all about the hotel and nothing to do with being mayor. Even his own daughter seemed bored as she fiddled with a fancy gold bracelet.

“Now, to give you a better understanding of how the hotel works, I’m offering all of you to come work at the hotel during school tomorrow!” he said proudly. “You’ll get to try different jobs and understand just how much it takes to run a successful business.”

“Excellent idea,” Miss Bustier said. “Class, we’re having a field trip tomorrow!”

**

The next day, the class gathered in the hotel while Mayor Bourgeois gave them their assignments for the day.

At the end of the list were Marinette and Alya.

“Miss Cesaire, you’ll be on trash duty,” the mayor said. “And Miss Dupain-Cheng—”

At that exact moment, the doors of the hotel burst in and _Jagged Stone_ walked in, followed by an entourage and an _alligator_.

The rockstar glanced around the room while a woman in a business suit addressed the mayor. “Mr. Stone would like to book your best suite for available use.”

“Why, of course!” the mayor replied. “My daughter is working the check-in desk today, she’ll have you taken care of right away.”

Chloe, standing at the desk, beamed at the star. Beside her, Adrien tried to act cool and casual—he knew what having obsessed fans was like, and he didn’t want to be one of them—but it was _Jagged Stone!_

A man entered the hotel behind Jagged’s entourage. He was decked head to toe in Jagged Stone merchandise, and wore a camera on a strap around his neck.

Adrien rolled his eyes on seeing him. While it was nice he wasn’t the one swarmed by fans this time, he couldn’t just stand by and let his idol get accosted.

“Excuse me,” he said to the woman checking in, the one who’d spoken for Jagged before. “Is that man with you?”

She turned her head and narrowed her eyes. “No, he is _not_. Thank you. Security!”

“Jagged Stone!” the man cried. “Let me just get a few pictures—I’m your biggest fan!”

The man was still begging for just one picture when two security guards lifted him and bodily threw him out of the hotel.

The woman in the suit stepped towards Mayor Bourgeois. “Mr. Stone has some very specific requests,” she said as the rest of the entourage headed to the elevator. “Can you accommodate him?”

“Of course!” the mayor replied. “Uh—Miss Dupain-Cheng here is our gopher for the day. She’ll be happy to get you anything you need!”

Marinette just gave an awkward smile. Personal favors for a rockstar definitely sounded like a good job for the day.”

“Mr. Stone wants sunglasses in red, white, and blue with Eiffel Towers on them,” the woman said to her. “By the end of the day, please.”

“Not a problem,” Marinette replied.

**

It was a problem. Marinette looked at _every_ tourist trap shop in the area, but the glasses Jagged Stone wanted simply didn’t exist.

“Pollen, what do I do?” she complained, resting on a bench by the actual Eiffel Tower.

“Why don’t you make your own?” the kwami suggested. “After all, you’re so smart and creative, my queen!”

“Yeah,” she said with a grin. “Yeah, I can do that. I’ve been wanting to try out the acrylic knife I got at Christmas anyways!”

**

In the hotel, the door burst open as a man with a camera integrated into his face entered.

Adrien immediately recognized him as an akuma, and snuck away as Chloe posed for a picture the man took of her.

As he watched his childhood friend disintegrate and vanish into the camera, he ducked into a nearby closet to transform.

Captain Turtle ran out, intercepting the akuma before he reached the elevators. “Whatever Hawkmoth promised you, it’s not worth it.”

The akuma just laughed. “Jagged Stone wouldn’t give me the time of day before, but once I take his picture, he’ll be Pixelator’s best friend forever!”

Captain rolled his eyes. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Look into the lens,” Pixelator taunted before firing a beam from his camera directly at Captain Turtle, who dodged expertly, jumping behind various couches and tables in the lobby as Pixelator disintegrated them all.

At that unfortunate moment, Marinette chose to reenter the hotel. She’d barely stepped inside when she heard Captain Turtle calling her name, panicked, and then everything went white.

She found herself in an endless white void with no one in sight. She frantically checked her bag to see if Pollen was still inside, and breathed a sigh of relief on seeing her kwami.

“Where are we?” she asked.

Pollen floated out to take a proper look around. “Looks like a blank dimension. I haven’t been in one of these in so long!”

“O-okay,” Marinette replied. “So…how do we get out?”

“We can’t,” Pollen said simply. “We have to wait.”

Marinette sighed. “Buzz on,” she said, calling for her transformation so that no matter what happened—she’d be ready.

**

“No!” Captain Turtle cried, distraught at seeing Marinette vanish before his eyes. His fists clenched, and he wanted to just _destroy_ Pixelator—but he had a job to do, and doing that job would bring Marinette back.

So he turned and headed to the elevator, jamming the door close button as rapidly as he could so the akuma couldn’t follow him. He headed straight for the top of the hotel, and ran down the hallway until he saw the tail of an alligator disappearing through a door.

Captain knocked on that door, and the suited woman from earlier answered. “Yes?”

“Hi,” he said. “Uh—sorry to bother you, but one of Jagged Stone’s fans is akumatized and I need to get him to safety.”

“Come again?” she asked, but Captain didn’t have the time to answer before a beam shot past him and made the woman disappear.

He grumbled under his breath, running into the room and finding Jagged Stone sitting on a couch and cuddling the alligator. “Mr. Stone, you need to come with me. _Now_.”

This time, he didn’t wait for an answer, just grabbed the rockstar before jumping out the window.

**

Honeybee jumped as an alligator suddenly appeared beside her. The large lizard approached her and tilted its head up at her, slowly closing its eyes.

“Um…good boy?” she said tentatively, brushing her hand over its long snout. She could have sworn the gator smiled at her.

**

“I know this is a bizarre request, but would you mind being bait?” Captain Turtle asked Jagged Stone as he set him down on the side of the road.

The rockstar crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve dealt with fans like _that_ before,” Captain continued, jerking his thumb towards the hotel. “Letting him think he’s getting what he wants means that he’s going to make mistakes.”

Jagged nodded. “You’ve got a point, mate. I guess I can make a noble sacrifice, for the good of the people!”

“Awesome,” Captain said. “And I think the akuma’s coming—now!”

Jagged Stone stepped out into the street, his arms open wide in a gesture of sacrifice. “You want a picture?” he called. “Come and get it!”

The akuma walked into the street, staring down the rockstar with a grin. “Look into the lens—”

“Wait!” Jagged cried. “Before you do—you have to let everyone else go.”

“Why?”

“Well, you want me to be your best friend, yeah?” he asked. “I can’t do that if you’re keepin’ everyone captured. Let them go, and then you’ll get my picture.”

Pixelator frowned, but pressed a button on the camera, suddenly filling the streets with people.

Captain Turtle scanned the area, his heart sinking when he didn’t see Marinette anywhere. Luckily, Honeybee was there, and she raced to his side.

“Thanks for saving me,” she said with a grin. “Now let’s kick his butt.”

They raced towards the akuma, both throwing their weapons at the same time. The trompo wrapped around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides, while the shield smashed the lens of the camera on his face.

“Miracle Turtle!” Captain cried, setting the area back to normal. He then glanced around nervously. “Marinette—she still didn’t come back.”

“I-I’m sure she’s fine!” Honeybee said. “Maybe she ended up wherever she was before?”

“I _saw_ her,” he replied. “She was just heading into the hotel, she should be _right there_.”

Honeybee laid her hand on his shoulder, a comforting gesture. “Try looking in the hotel for her? I’ll scout around the area and let you know.”

“Thanks, Bee,” Captain said, a grin on his face. “You’re the best.”

She tried not to melt internally as she ran off.

**

Marinette burst into the hotel through the lobby doors, out of breath and clutching a pair of shutter shades tightly. She looked around for Captain Turtle, but didn’t see him among the hotel guests and staff. He must have had to transform back.

She noticed Chloe and Adrien at the front desk, Adrien giving her a wide smile as Chloe hung onto his arm. There was some uncertain emotion in his eyes.

She gave him a small wave as she headed to Jagged Stone’s suite.

“Thank you for the glasses,” his assistant said brusquely, almost slamming the door in her face.

“Wait!” Marinette said. “I-I’m sorry, but is there any way I could give these to him myself? It’s just—I spent a long time making them, and then the akuma attack…”

The woman raised an eyebrow. “ _You_ made these? Really?”

Marinette just nodded. “I won’t take up too much of his time, I promise. I won’t even ask for an autograph.”

“I’m really sorry, but Mr. Stone is extremely busy right now, preparing for his show,” she replied. “But—these are quality work, and I know him well enough to know he’ll appreciate them…can you wait here for a moment?”

She disappeared into the room, and came back a moment later holding four tickets. Marinette’s jaw dropped on seeing them.

“Bring your friends to the show tonight,” she said, pushing the tickets into the teen’s hand. “I know it’s not what you’re hoping for, but, Mr. Stone really does appreciate your hard work.”

Marinette nodded dumbly, and waited until she was safely in the elevator before screaming in delight.

**

“Hey Adrien,” Marinette said, arriving at the front desk. “Do you want to go to a concert tonight?”

“Y-yeah,” he said, smiling widely. “That’d be really cool.”

She handed him two of the tickets. “Feel free to bring someone! I need to go give this other ticket to Alya.”

Chloe, unable to mind her own business, peeked over his shoulder and gasped. “Oh my god, you got _Jagged Stone_ tickets? Adrikins, you’ll take me, won’t you?”

Adrien just smiled at Marinette and said, “I bet Nino will love this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Guitar Villain


	13. Guitar Villain

“Marinette!” Sabine called from downstairs. “You have a visitor!”

Marinette headed down to the bakery to see a strange man standing there.

“Hi, Bob Roth here,” the man said, handing her a business card. “I represent Jagged Stone—you made those sunglasses for him, right?”

“Um, yeah,” Marinette replied. “Why?”

“He was seriously impressed,” Bob said. “And he wants you to design his next album cover.”

Her eyes widened and her voice rose to a squeak as she said, “ _Seriously_?”

“Yeah,” he replied, his tone dismissive. “I brought you the album and the covers of some best-selling albums right now so you know what’s _right_. Don’t leak this album to _anyone_ , you got that?”

“O-of course!” she replied. “I wouldn’t!”

“Go on, start working, I’ll handle the legal stuff with your parents.”

She managed to keep a lid on her emotions until she was safely in her room, then she started jumping and squealing with joy. “Oh my god, Pollen! I’m going to be designing the _album cover_ for _Jagged Stone!_ ”

“That’s amazing, my queen!” the kwami replied. “I’m certain you’ll do wonderfully!”

“I wish I could tell Alya,” she said. “But, first things first—I need to listen to this _brand new Jagged Stone album!_ Oh my god!”

She glanced at the other albums Bob Roth had given her—Clara Nightingale, XY—and tossed them aside. Their music was fine, but their vibe definitely wasn’t _Jagged_.

**

Adrien was visiting Chloe at the hotel when the akuma attacked. The akuma was calling himself Guitar Villain, but he didn’t seem all that scary next to the _giant dragon_ that accompanied him.

“Uh, Chloe, I’ve gotta call my driver, I’ll meet you up at your suite,” he said, thinking quickly to get rid of his friend.

“Okay, see you there!” she said, cheerfully getting into the elevator. For some reason, the akuma or dragon hadn’t fazed her.

Adrien ducked down behind the now-deserted check-in desk. “Wayzz, shell on!”

Captain Turtle ran out of the hotel, ready to fight the akuma.

**

Marinette didn’t hear the crashing and screaming as she blared the sounds of Jagged Stone’s album in her room. She’d given Pollen small pieces of cotton to use as earplugs so the kwami could take a well-deserved nap.

**

Captain Turtle jumped from beam to beam of the Eiffel Tower, quickly scaling it so he could reach Guitar Villain.

The akuma was busy wrecking audio equipment set up there while a young man cowered in fear. “Where’s XY?” the akuma demanded.

“He’s—he’s at the TVi studio!”

The akuma snarled before whistling for the dragon. He jumped on his back and flew off.

Captain Turtle groaned before starting his descent back down the tower.

**

When Captain Turtle arrived at the studio, he saw the dragon flying overhead, going _back_ to the Eiffel Tower.

“Oh, come on!” he cried, turning around and running towards the tower again.

Where was Honeybee?

**

Captain Turtle scaled the Eiffel Tower again to find Guitar Villain keeping the popstar XY on the edge of a plank hanging off the side of the tower, the lights of the city seeming miles below them as the sun began to set.

“Go on then!” he cried in an accented voice. “Tell me again my music is too _old!_ ”

Captain sighed as he recognized the akuma as Jagged Stone. Really, was _no one_ off limits for Hawkmoth?

“Rock and roll!” Guitar Villain cried, strumming a guitar chord that made the plank shake and crack, sending XY dangerously close to falling.

Captain threw his shield at the akuma, easily smashing the guitar he carried and catching the butterfly inside it.

“Miracle Turtle!” he cried, a little bit of tension leaving his shoulders as he saw XY safe on the solid iron bars of the tower.

**

As Captain headed back home, knowing that he should have been there hours ago, he noticed a light on in a familiar bakery and heard loud music blaring from the open window.

He knew he _shouldn’t_ visit Marinette, but the thought of going back to his room to spend even _more_ time alone seemed like the worst fate.

So he jumped to her balcony and knocked at the trapdoor window. And again, louder, when she didn’t respond the first time.

Marinette glanced up from her desk, then jumped and headed up to open the window. “Cap!” she said, practically yelling over the music. “What are you doing here? Is there an akuma?”

“Not anymore,” he replied with a grin. “I just finished up a fight and thought I’d come check in on my favorite civilian.”

“Th-there was an akuma just now?” she asked, her face turning pale.

“Yeah, but don’t worry about it. What are you up to?”

Her eyes lit up, and she grinned before grabbing him by the collar and pulling him inside. “Do you recognize the music?”

“Uh, no,” Captain replied. “Sounds good though.”

She gave him a conspiratorial grin. “It’s _Jagged Stone’s_ new album. I’m designing the cover for it! How cool is that?”

“Very cool,” he replied. “How’d you get that job?”

“W-well, I made some sunglasses for him as part of a school project, and he liked them so much that I got hired for this,” she replied, grinning widely but looking down at her hands. “I just got lucky, I guess.”

“Marinette,” he murmured, gently moving a hand beneath her chin so he could tilt her gaze back up towards him. “Don’t put your hard work down to luck. You’re _amazing_ , and I know this is just the beginning for you.”

Her cheeks turned pink as she met his gaze. Her eyes flicked down to his lips for just a moment, but she pulled away. “S-so, I have a lot of work I need to do,” she said. “A-and you’ve got important superhero business, right?”

“Right,” Captain said, his hand dropping back by his side. “I should call Honeybee again—she didn’t make it to the fight, I hope she’s okay.”

“You—you care?” Marinette asked, surprise evident in her tone. “I mean, she’s your sidekick, of course you care, but I—I thought—”

“Hey, hey, Princess,” he murmured, lifting his hand again to grab hers. “She’s my teammate and my friend. Of course I care. But—not the same way I care about _you_.”

She smiled softly. “We still—we can’t, though. Right? Not even one kiss?”

His hand squeezed hers gently. “If I kissed you, I don’t know if I could stop.”

They sat in silence for a moment, both slowly leaning towards each other, but this time, Captain was the one to pull away.

“You should—you should find someone else,” he said. “Isn’t there a model in your class? I’m sure he’s good looking enough to take your mind off me, right?”

“Who, Adrien?” she asked. “I mean, yeah, he’s attractive, but he’s just a friend.”

“Just—if some other guy asks you out, I won’t be hurt if you say yes, okay?” Captain asked. “As much as I want you to wait for me until Hawkmoth’s no longer a threat—it’s not fair for you.”

“But Cap—” Marinette started to say, but she was cut off by him abruptly turning and leaving her room, jumping off to another roof and running.

He wiped a stray tear away from his face as he ran. If his father or Nathalie saw him this upset over a girl—well, he’d rather be akumatized.

**

Marinette stood in Jagged Stone’s hotel suite, twisting her hands together as she waited for him and Bob Roth to give their opinions on her design.

“It’s—not exactly what I had in mind,” Bob said, a frown on his face. “It’s—”

“Better!” Jagged cried. “This is _exactly_ what my album needs! Little girl, you’re a genius!”

“Th-thank you,” she said, smiling nervously. “So—I-I can make any changes that you want, or…”

“No, we’re going with this as-is!” Jagged exclaimed. “Kid, what’s your name?”

“It’s, uh, Marinette,” she replied. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, sir.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he repeated. “You’ve got an _incredible_ eye for a girl your age. Leave your information with Penny here. I want some Marinette Dupain-Cheng originals before you get too famous!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Evillustrator


	14. Evillustrator

It was a normal day at Francois Dupont High School until chemistry class.

“Nathaniel!” Miss Mendeleiev called sharply. “Stop doodling and pay attention!”

The redheaded artist ducked his head in shame.

“Bring your silly drawings up here,” she said. “You’ll get them back after class.”

He stood and started shuffling to the front of the room, but tripped over a bag in the walkway. His sketchbook flew out of his arms, landing open in the aisle between the seats, showing clearly one of his pictures—an illustration of himself with his arms around a clearly lovestruck Marinette.

“Look at that, Sabrina,” Chloe said loudly. “Doodle boy’s got a crush on _Dupain-Cheng!_ It’s a match made in poor heaven!”

Adrien glanced at the sketchbook, then turned his gaze to Marinette, seeing her blushing with a small smile on her face.

He wanted to be the one to make her smile like that.

Nathaniel quickly scooped up the book and handed it to Miss Mendeleiev, his face burning as he headed back to his seat. He quickly locked eyes with Marinette and gave her a nervous grin.

He then lowered his head when he saw the _glare_ Adrien gave him.

“All right, everyone,” Miss Mendeleiev announced, “we’re going to have a group project. Listen up for your groups.”

The class groaned as she pulled out a sheet of paper and started reading names.

“Nino, Alya, and Adrien,” she read, “and the last group is Chloe, Sabrina, and Marinette.”

“Um, excuse me, but Sabrina and I work better with just each other,” Chloe piped up, and for once Marinette agreed with the blonde.

“The groups are already set,” Miss Mendeleiev said. “I suggest you learn to deal with it. Class dismissed!”

**

“Don’t worry about the project, Chloe,” Sabrina told her friend as they stood at her locker. “Marinette and I can handle everything, and you’ll just do the presentation!”

“We’ll what now?” Marinette asked, overhearing.

“You’ll do the super boring parts and I’ll do the part that lets everyone look at me,” Chloe said. “Got a problem with that?”

Marinette just stared blankly at the other girls for a moment before shrugging. “You know what, fine. We’ll be better off without Chloe anyways. Sabrina, want to go to the library to work on it?”

“Ex- _cuse_ me?” Chloe scoffed. “You’re going to make us fail if you try to do anything without _me!_ Come on, Sabrina, let’s go work on the project without Dupain-Cheng!”

Sabrina shot Marinette a wide-eyed look as Chloe grabbed her wrist and led her away.

Marinette followed the girls into the library, watching as Chloe planted herself at a table and told Sabrina to find the relevant books. She sighed and went to help the redhead carry the quickly growing stack of books in her arms.

“You know, you don’t have to do everything she tells you,” she mentioned when they were out of earshot from the blonde.

“I know,” Sabrina replied. “This is just how our friendship works. I _like_ doing things for her.”

“Okay then.”

A scream rang out through the library, causing the girls to drop their books. Marinette glanced around a shelf to see Chloe running from a giant hairdryer that chased her through the shelves.

“I have to help her!” Sabrina cried, foolishly running towards the giant flying object.

Marinette sighed and ducked back behind the shelves. “Pollen, buzz on!”

Once transformed, Honeybee jumped on top of the nearest shelf and threw her trompo, the string tangling around the hairdryer and reining it in. She saw a green blur approach the object, sighing in relief as she recognized Captain Turtle.

She briefly wondered how he got there so quickly, but shook off the thought as he slammed his shield into the side of the hairdryer, causing it to break and fall to the floor.

Captain glanced up at her, then his gaze lifted higher, to something on the second floor. “Bee, the akuma!” he called.

She turned and jumped up to the landing, her trompo in her hand as she walked towards the akuma. He looked almost like a clown, pale skin with red hair, but he wore a tablet on his arm that he frantically scribbled something on—and then Honeybee walked straight into an invisible wall.

“Ow!” she cried in surprise, rubbing her nose as the akuma turned and ran away.

“You okay?” Captain asked, arriving beside her.

“I think so,” she said. “Where did he go?”

“I don’t know,” Captain Turtle replied, “but I’ve got a pretty good idea of who his target is.”

**

Chloe was perfectly happy to be looked after by the two heroes. She clung to Captain Turtle’s side, taking selfie after selfie with him.

“Does your sidekick really need to be here?” she asked at one point, tossing a glare at Honeybee.

“Trust me, I’m not too happy about it either,” the heroine snapped in response. “But, we’re here to protect you.

“She’s not my sidekick, she’s my partner,” Captain said. “And we work best when we’re _together_.”

Honeybee glanced out a window, biting her lip to keep a giddy smile from spreading across her face.

“Well, I don’t want her here,” Chloe announced. “Go away.”

“Fine,” Honeybee responded. “Cap, how about I go scout out for the akuma? I’ll let you know if I spot him.”

“All right,” Captain relented. “Good luck.”

Honeybee glanced at Chloe, still hanging onto the hero’s arm, and responded, “You too.”

**

Marinette collapsed onto her bed with a groan. She’d seen no sign of the akuma, and figured she and Pollen both needed a rest.

As the kwami snacked on some candied flowers, Marinette tried to relax. Maybe Hawkmoth had recalled the akuma? It had just run away instead of demanding their miraculouses—was something else going on?

Her train of thought was interrupted by her window suddenly _erasing from existence_.

“Marinette,” the akuma said, stepping into her room. He smiled at her, and suddenly, he looked familiar.

“Nathaniel?”

“It’s Evillustrator now,” he said. “But don’t worry! I’m not here to hurt you. I, uh, actually have something to ask you.”

“Wh-what is it?” she asked. She hated the tremble of fear in her voice, but she couldn’t help being somewhat scared without her suit to protect her.

“Will you come to my birthday party?” he asked. “It’s tonight. I’ll have a boat on the Seine, and—I really want you to be there. You’re the girl I want by my side.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and she nodded. “Y-yeah. Okay. I’ll go.”

“Thank you, Marinette,” he said, turning to leave.

“Wait!” she called. She knew there was usually no use in talking to akumas, but she had to know. “I-is that you, Nathaniel? Not Hawkmoth making you say that?”

He smiled, the same small genuine smile he’d given her earlier that day. “It’s me.”

Her heart jumped in her chest as she returned the smile.

**

Captain Turtle’s shield was ringing.

He somehow, instinctively, knew how to answer it. “Hello?”

“Hey, I’ve got a lead on the akuma,” Honeybee said on the other end. “He’s apparently in love with m-Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Do, uh, do you know her?”

“Y-yeah,” Captain replied with a grin. “I’ve run into her a few times. She’s really—she’s cute.”

Honeybee was glad he couldn’t see her blush. “Oh! W-well, then, that makes this easier. She’s going on a date with him tonight, you should go along as backup. She knows to expect you, and she’ll be waiting at her house, okay?”

“Um, okay,” he replied. “I’ll see her later, then. What about you? Where will you be?”

“I’ll, uh—I’ll be watching from a distance!” she said. “So, you won’t see me. But I’ll definitely be there.”

She ended the call before he could say anything more.

**

Marinette took care to get dressed that evening. She was going on a date, after all. She wore a black skirt that fell to her knees, semi-sheer black tights beneath, and a pink sweater that she saved for cold evenings like this one. She also took some time to take her hair out of its usual pigtails and pull it back into a bun instead, and wore a little makeup.

She heard a knock at her skylight window and rushed up to the balcony. “Hi,” she said with a grin, smiling at Captain Turtle.

“Hi,” he responded. “You look— _wow_. All this for an akuma?”

“Not _just_ for the akuma,” she responded. “He asked me to meet him by the Seine—probably by the Pont des Arts. Mind giving a girl a lift?”

“Not at all, Princess,” he responded with a mock bow.

She stepped close to him, allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist, and leaned close to murmur, “Does that make you my Prince?”

He gave her a grin as a soft blush spread under his mask. “Well, I did slay a dragon last week.”

“My hero,” she said with a smile.

Captain Turtle held her close. “Ready to go?”

She nodded, and he jumped off the balcony, carrying Marinette with him. She rested her head against his shoulder, watching his face as the air rushed past them. His lips were curved up in a smile, and his expression behind the mask was relaxed, happy.

He brought her to an alleyway not far from the Seine. “You should go alone from here,” he said. “I promise, I’ll be watching over you.”

“How about a kiss for luck?” she teased, standing on her tiptoes to match his height.

“Princess, if I start kissing you, you’ll be late for your date,” he said, his voice lower than he meant it, but the surprised look that spread across Marinette’s face made him think he should use that voice more often.

“Then I should get going,” she said, finally slipping out of his arms and walking towards the river.

Evillustrator was at the riverbank beside a boat. He smiled widely when he saw Marinette and offered her his hand, leading her onto the boat.

“Happy birthday,” Marinette said with a smile. “This is…really pretty.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet!” he exclaimed. “What would you like, Marinette? A light show? An orchestra? I can give you anything you want.”

“I—I don’t know,” she responded, caught off guard.

“Oh, I got it!” he said, turning his attention to his tablet. Overhead, a few clouds covered the moon, casting a shadow on him. He grumbled before drawing a large moon-like lantern, bringing it to reality on the helm of the boat. “Sorry—I can’t draw anything if it’s dark.”

“No problem,” Marinette murmured in response, turning her head to see a flash of green on a nearby rooftop as the boat set off down the river.

Evillustrator motioned for her to sit on a bench, then sat beside her, slinging his arm over her shoulder. She tensed up for just a moment before forcing herself to relax again.

“I’m really glad you came,” he said softly, giving her a shy smile.

Her heart thumped in her chest, but she fought it back, reminding herself this was an _akuma_ and she loved _Captain Turtle_.

“Hey,” she said suddenly. “Can I try drawing something?”

He grinned and readily handed over the tablet and stylus. She quickly sketched something, a dress she’d had on her mind for a while, and gasped when it suddenly appeared into reality before her.

“It’s beautiful,” Evillustrator commented as Marinette stood and clutched the dress to herself, imagining what it would look like on her. “You’re a great designer.”

She held the dress in one hand, the stylus in the other, happily twirling around the deck of the boat.

“Marinette,” Evillustrator said, his tone suddenly cold. “Give me back the stylus.”

“What?”

“Give it _back!_ ” he cried, lunging towards her and snatching it out of her hand.

The dress fell on the deck, soon crushed beneath his boot, but she didn’t notice as Captain Turtle landed in front of them, glaring at the akuma.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” Evillustrator cried, ice in his gaze as he looked at Marinette. “You and _him!_ ”

“Leave her alone!” Captain cried. “I’m the one you want, aren’t I?”

The akuma scoffed. “I want you _gone!_ ”

As Captain Turtle raced towards Marinette, Evillustrator sketched something quickly, causing a clear acrylic box to appear around the hero. He then erased part of the boat, causing water to come splashing up onto the deck, sinking the vessel.

Evillustrator wrapped an arm around Marinette’s waist and carried her off as he leapt from the boat to the top of a nearby building, the butterfly powering him giving him extra strength and speed.

Marinette could only watch in horror as Captain Turtle started to sink into the Seine, but she was whisked away before seeing him go under.

“Shellter!” Captain cried, activating a shield around himself. The powerful shield burst through the acrylic box, freeing him. He leapt back to shore, headed into an alley, and detransformed to give Wayzz some food before continuing on.

**

Evillustrator brought Marinette to Chloe’s hotel room erasing the door to let himself in. Chloe was nowhere to be found, so he set down Marinette and started to erase things he saw around the room—clothing, purses, shoes.

“Stop!” Chloe suddenly cried, her voice coming from under the bed.

“There you are,” Evillustrator grumbled. He started to draw high heeled shoes, with _sharp_ stiletto heels, that popped into existence floating above the bed.

“Chloe, run!” Marinette cried. “Get out of here!”

The blonde popped out from under the bed and scurried deeper into her suite, locking herself in the bathroom.

“Nathaniel,” Marinette pleaded, “You don’t have to do this. You can just leave Chloe alone, give me the thing with the akuma so Captain Turtle can purify it. You can still walk away from this.”

Evillustrator groaned suddenly, clutching his head as a glowing purple mask appeared over his eyes. He smiled cruelly at Marinette, and erased the floor from beneath her feet, causing her to plummet down—all the way to the ground floor

She screamed, but the sound was cut short as she felt arms wrapped around her and a green-clad force pushing her to the side, to safety.

“Th-thanks, Cap,” she murmured, smiling at her savior.

“I’m going to finish this,” he said, his face set in grim determination. “He’s going down.”

“Wait,” she said, grabbing his wrist before he could leap up through the hole in the building. She pulled, bringing him close to her in surprise, and she kissed his cheek, leaving a soft pink smudge of lipgloss. “Okay. He can’t draw in the dark—maybe you can use that?”

“Great idea, Princess,” he replied with a grin. He threw his shield up before jumping up into the hole to follow it. The shield ricochet around, hitting each light in Chloe’s suite, snuffing them out.

“Damn!” Evillustrator cursed, and that was all Captain needed to locate him. He moved slowly, patiently, until he was close enough to grab the stylus from the akuma’s grasp.

“Miracle Turtle!” Captain cried as the swarm of lights surrounded the area, fixing all the damage and turning things back to normal.

From floors below, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief.

**

At school the next day, Nathaniel approached Marinette in the locker room with his head hung in shame. “H-hey,” he said. “Look, I’m really, _really_ sorry about everything that happened yesterday…”

“It’s okay,” she replied with a soft smile. “You were akumatized. You couldn’t control it.”

“Still,” he said. “I tried to—I’m so sorry!”

“Really, it’s fine!” Marinette exclaimed in reply. She locked eyes with him, and she felt her heart pounding again.

“Do—would you like to go out sometime?” he suddenly asked, his cheeks flaming as red as his hair.

“Yeah. That sounds fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: Kung Food


	15. Kung Food

Sabine Cheng couldn’t always control her volume when speaking to her relatives, so Marinette was woken up by loud Chinese exclamations echoing through the walls of the house. At the bright and early hour of 7 AM on a weekend.

Marinette did not know enough Mandarin to know what was going on, but her mother sounded agitated. Then, she heard her name in the conversation.

She got dressed and headed downstairs to ask Sabine what was going on. Her mother kept talking, not noticing her presence until she hung up.

“Oh, Marinette!” she exclaimed with a relieved smile. “You’re up! Are you free today?”

“Um, I had some plans to get ice cream with Nathaniel this evening…”

“That’s all right, I only need your help for the day,” Sabine said. “You know your uncle Wang?”

“The chef?”

“Right. He’s apparently in Paris _today_ for a cooking competition and wanted to invite us. I’m too busy with your father working on a big order, but we can’t turn him down, so I need you to go and accompany him.”

“Um, Mom,” Marinette said nervously. “You do remember I don’t speak that much Chinese, right? Isn’t that going to be a problem without you translating?”

Sabine frowned, thinking, and then brightened again. “Oh! Call your friend, the one with the Chinese lessons! His conversational Mandarin is probably well enough to carry on with Uncle Wang.”

“Sure,” Marinette replied, grabbing her cell phone from her pocket. “If he’s free, I bet Adrien would love to meet Uncle Wang!”

**

Adrien was all too happy to spend the day with Marinette. He’d heard of Cheng Shifu before, having read a couple articles about him when he was assigned to translate People’s Daily articles. Meeting the great chef was a good opportunity—and spending all day with the prettiest girl in class was a great bonus.

As it turned out, Wang Cheng did in fact speak French, but his French was on the level of Marinette’s Mandarin—not very good for more than polite formalities. So Adrien found himself talking quite a lot as Wang told him to tell Marinette how _excited_ he was to see his niece, and how big a deal this competition was.

Adrien also helped with the short TV interview before the actual competition in Le Grand Paris. He wondered why the TV company didn’t think to bring a _professional_ translator, but he’d never had that much faith in TVi to begin with, since a couple of bad interviews he’d faced.

“Thanks for inviting me, Marinette,” he said once they were alone, and Cheng Shifu was cooking. “This is a lot of fun, and Father can’t even complain, since it’s helping me practice.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to give you more warning,” she said. “Mom and I only found out he was coming this morning.”

“That’s all right,” Adrien said, waving off her concerns with a smile. “I’d rather be here than at home doing nothing.”

“Should we take a seat and cheer for Uncle Wang?”

From beside them, a familiar voice scoffed. “Uh, sorry, Dupain-Cheng,” said Chloe, “but there’s _no way_ your uncle or sensei or whatever is going to win. I’m one of the judges, and unless he’s making like, sushi, I don’t eat any of that stuff.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Can you please be a little less racist for one day?”

“Wait, seriously?” Chloe asked. “How is that racist?”

“I’m _Chinese_ , not Japanese.”

“Oh, shit,” Chloe replied, for once looking guilty. “I—I need to get going.”

She hurried away, letting Adrien and Marinette take their seats.

**

Soon, the judges took their seats in front of the cameras, and the food was presented to each of them. When they tried Wang’s soup, each of them (except Chloe, who didn’t take a bite) spit it out in disgust.

“This is…certainly _unique_ Asian cuisine,” Nadja Chamack said, trying to smile for the camera.

“It’s horrible!” Jagged Stone cried. “Mate, I’ve been to China loads of times, I know what food tastes like there, and this is _not_ it!”

The judges held up their scores, all zeros, and Alec Cataldi, the host of the show, laughed, quipping at the camera while Wang hung his head and walked to the kitchen.

“That’s not right,” Marinette muttered, her eyes narrowed at Chloe before she glanced towards the kitchen. “I need to talk to him. Can you come with me?”

“Yeah, of course.”

They didn’t get far before an akumatized Wang ran out from the kitchen, dressed like a someone mashed a bunch of shonen anime protagonists into one character.

“Great,” Adrien said. “Looks like Hawkmoth’s racist too.”

“I am Kung Food!” Wang cried in suddenly perfect French. “And you will all be my ingredients!”

The judges who had tasted his food all looked towards him in unison as their eyes glazed over. They stood, all at once, and grabbed Chloe, carrying her off kicking and screaming out of the room.

“I, uh—gotta go!” Marinette said, sprinting away towards the restrooms.

Well, that meant Adrien didn’t have to find an excuse to ditch her. He ran into a nearby closet as he called for his transformation.

He ran out of the closet and met Honeybee in the hallway. She seemed more nervous than normal as she looked around for Kung Food.

“Any idea where the akuma went?” she asked.

“Not yet,” Captain Turtle replied, as a flying dumpling appeared beside them and projected an image of the akuma in front of a swimming pool full of boiling broth.

“You’ll make a nice appetizer,” he said. “To my world-famous Brat Soup!” He moved aside to show Chloe dangling over the pool while his hypnotized servants dumped vegetables into the broth.

“That’s horrible!” Honeybee cried.

“Yeah,” Captain Turtle agreed as the image switched off. “Chloe’s really in danger now.”

“Well, yeah, that, but they just put full unpeeled onions in the broth!” Honeybee said. “I mean, he’s clearly not planning on straining them out!”

Captain couldn’t help but laugh. “I didn’t know you cooked, Bee.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment the elevator dinged open, revealing Jagged Stone carrying a bunch of seafood stuck together to look somewhat like a sword.

He slashed at the heroes, but they both easily vaulted over him and jumped into the elevator. Honeybee gave a cheeky wave goodbye as the doors closed.

They made their way up to the roof. Captain Turtle immediately moved into a fighting stance as he called out, “Hey! Naruto!”

“The name is Kung Food!” the akuma replied, running towards him.

Honeybee took the distraction to sneak around the pool towards Chloe, working to untie her. However, the blonde’s thrashing around just made the knots holding her aloft tighten.

“Venom!” Honeybee cried, breathing a sigh of relief when the other girl finally stilled. She untied her and carried her away from the pool, placing her in a lounge chair before turning back to the fight.

Kung Food pulled a large sword made of pizza out of his bag, and Captain Turtle started to laugh. “Really?” he asked. “A pizza buster sword? That’s hilarious.”

Honeybee watched them fight from a distance, giant sword against small shield, as she glanced over the akuma for anything looking out of place. The chef’s hat he wore was black and twisted—a good sign of an akuma hiding spot.

While Captain Turtle held his own against the akuma, Honeybee snuck quietly around the pool to behind Kung Food, where she was able to grab the hat off his head. She ripped it in half and let the butterfly escape.

Captain Turtle threw his shield to catch the butterfly before tossing it up to cast the cure. The broth turned back to pool water, and Kung Food turned back to Wang Cheng.

Honeybee breathed a sigh of relief before running inside before her transformation ran out.

**

Marinette and Adrien stood in the hotel kitchen beside Wang Cheng, watching as he wielded a knife to chop vegetables finely before throwing them into a bubbling purple broth.

“Wow,” Marinette murmured. “I could never chop like that without cutting off a finger or something.”

Adrien laughed. “Y-yeah, he’s pretty cool. So, um, by the way, are you doing anything after this? Because I have the whole day for free once, and—”

“I’m sorry,” she said with a sympathetic smile. “I, uh, actually have a date. With Nathaniel. But, hey, next time?”

“Yeah,” he replied, forcing himself to keep smiling. “Next time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: Mr. Pigeon


	16. Mr. Pigeon

To say Marinette was excited would be a massive understatement.

A fashion design competition at her school! Gabriel Agreste was the judge! If she was able to win, she’d be noticed by her fashion idol and have a headstart on the career or her dreams!

The problem was that the contest required a derby hat. Marinette had sketched plenty of hats before, but _making_ them was a new ballgame. Plus, she didn’t even have a derby hat design!

“I’m going to lose this contest and never be a designer and my dreams will be ruined!” she cried to Alya during their break. “Help me!”

Alya just laughed. “You know you’ve got a lifeline here, right? Adrien can probably help you figure out what his dad likes. In fact—hey, Adrien!”

“What’s up?” the model asked, crossing the courtyard towards the girls.

“What’ll make Marinette win your dad’s contest?”

He gave a shy smile. “I, uh, I’m really not much of a designer, I don’t know what he looks for. But, Marinette, you’re really awesome, so I’m sure you’ll manage to win!”

“Maybe,” she said glumly. “Thanks anyways, Adrien. I’m going to go talk to Nathaniel, maybe bounce some ideas off of him.”

As Marinette walked away, Alya noticed the scowl that briefly crossed Adrien’s face. “Ooh, are you jealous?” she teased.

“It’s fine,” he replied tersely.

“Hey, you didn’t hear it from me, but I don’t think those two are going to last. Way better chemistry as just friends.”

Adrien couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

**

Marinette and Nathaniel sat on the steps of the Trocadero together, both working in silence as they sketched in their respective notebooks.

“How does this look?” Marinette asked, turning her drawing towards Nathaniel. “Paper hat.”

“It’s cool,” he said with a soft smile.

She scrunched up her nose as she looked at the design again. “No, actually, I hate it. This hat just needs… _something_. You know?”

“You’ll know it when you see it,” Nathaniel said reassuringly. “You’re really creative and smart.”

She blushed, and glanced out across the area, watching a group of pigeons flock to a man feeding them. A cop came by and scolded the man, scattering the pigeons away.

A single feather floated down onto Marinette’s notebook, and she picked it up, admiring how the black and grey turned to a rainbow sheen in the light.

“Marinette, that’s from a pigeon,” Nathaniel said, disdain evident in his voice. “You don’t know where it’s been. It’s gross.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she replied. “I think I have my design now.”

She pocketed the feather before heading back to her house to craft the hat.

**

Adrien was stuck in traffic on his way home—which was odd, because there was normally no traffic on the short drive.

“What’s going on?” he asked his bodyguard.

He got a grunt in reply as the man pointed out the window at a massive flock of pigeons on the road.

Adrien frowned. “You know, I left my, uh, my books back at school, so I’m going to go run and grab them while I’ve got time!”

Before his bodyguard could respond, he opened the car door and rushed to a nearby alley, calling for his transformation.

His bodyguard gave a very small smile when he saw the flash of green light in his rearview mirror. He hoped the kid would figure out how to be stealthier at some point.

**

Marinette was almost done with the hat when the TV show she was watching was interrupted with an akuma alert. She groaned in frustration, pinning down the last bit before saying, “Pollen, buzz on!”

Honeybee leapt across the rooftops, following the oddly shaped clouds of pigeons, when she was suddenly stopped by the sound of someone sneezing loudly. The next thing she knew, Captain Turtle rolled off a higher roof and landed right in front of her.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He gave a sheepish smile. “Allergic to feathers. Where have you been?”

“I was busy,” she admitted. “Didn’t notice till the alert came on TV.”

Captain Turtle frowned. She could see a hint of something wrong in his eyes, some sort of hurt, but he said nothing.

“So, pigeons?” Honeybee asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I think the akuma’s controlling them—if we follow them, we’ll probably find it.”

“Sounds good,” she said with a grin. “Are you going to be okay, though?”

“I’ll manage,” he said, biting out the words before he jumped off the rooftop, following the airplane-shaped flock of pigeons above them.

The pair reached the Grand Palais, stopping on the glass rooftop to observe the akuma inside.

“He’s controlling the pigeons with that whistle,” Captain Turtle said. “That must be where the akuma is.”

Honeybee nodded. “Should we drop in and take him by surprise?”

“Maybe—if you can distract the pigeons, I can make a shield around him and me so they can’t help him,” he replied. “Head down on my count. One, two, _achoo!_ ”

With a loud sneeze, Captain Turtle stumbled and fell through the open skylight, landing hard on his back on the concrete floor.

“Ow,” he groaned, sitting up. “Now I know why turtles have shells.”

Honeybee stared down at him, holding her breath until she saw him move. He flashed her a thumbs up before turning his attention to the incoming flock of pigeons.

“Really?” Captain Turtle taunted, doing his best to breathe through his mouth so he wouldn’t sneeze. “You’re going to make your birds do the fighting for you? I thought Hawkmoth could pick someone better than _Chicken Man_.”

“It’s _Mister Pigeon!_ ” the akuma cried. “Go, my lovelies!” He blew into his whistle, and the pigeons flew into a large swarm before divebombing Captain.

“Shellter!” he cried, protecting himself just in time. Once the green glowing shield was around him, he finally let go a loud sneeze, one that echoed through the empty halls of the large building.

The sound made Mr. Pigeon flinch, and he stepped back slightly until he felt a sharp point at his back. Honeybee had taken Captain’s loud attention drawing antics as a cue to silently swoop through the building and sneak up on the akuma.

Instead of saying a word, she simply plucked the whistle from the akuma’s hand, breaking the rope that held it around his neck as she did. She stomped on it and released the butterfly from within.

Captain Turtle dropped the forcefield so he could throw his shield at the escaping butterfly. Once it returned and the purified butterfly was released, he held up the shield and cried, “Miracle Tur— _achoo!_ ”

This seemed to be close enough for the magic to work, and the pigeons mercifully vanished as the wave of green light spread across the area.

“Are you okay?” Honeybee asked as she approached him.

He nodded. “I’ll be fine, just need to breathe some feather-free air for a while.”

“Good,” she said. “You did great!”

“Thanks,” he replied. “Listen, I need to talk to you—” His words were cut off as his bracelet began rapidly beeping.

“Send me a message,” Honeybee said. “I’ll meet you later tonight.”

Captain Turtle nodded. “I’ll see you then.”

**

Honeybee met Captain Turtle on the Eiffel Tower late that night.

He was pacing around the beams as he waited for her.

“Uh, hi,” she said as she landed beside him. “What’s going on?”

“You were late to the fight today,” he replied. “And that thing with Evillustrator—you didn’t even show up. What’s going on with you?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, wincing slightly as if his words had hurt her. “I didn’t mean—my life has been so busy lately. I’ve been taking on a lot of extra work, between designs and babysitting…I’m _so sorry_.”

Captain Turtle relaxed, anger fading away as Honeybee twisted her hands together in worry. “Look,” he said, “I don’t want to be worrying that something happened to you, okay? I need my partner.”

She smiled at him, meeting his gaze finally. “You and me against the world?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “You and me.”

**

The next day, Marinette came to school with her finished hat safely tucked into a hatbox.

“Hey, Marinette!” Adrien greeted her at the door. “I just wanted you to know—I hope you win. I can’t actually influence my father’s decision, but I know your hat will be the best.”

“Thanks,” she replied as she set up the hatbox on a pedestal placed in the school courtyard. She unveiled it with a flourish and asked, “Still think it’s the best?”

“Amazing,” he said, admiring the feathery outer coating. “Are—are those real feathers?”

“Just the one here,” she replied, brushing the accent feather.

He gave her a sheepish smile. “Well, uh—I shouldn’t get too close, then. Don’t want to sneeze on it.”

“Oh, you’re allergic?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay!” he said. “If you win, I’ll just make sure to take some allergy pills before modeling it.”

She just grinned back at him. “ _When_ I win, I’ll replace it with a synthetic one.”

**

Of course, Marinette won the contest. Chloe, for some reason, had the same idea as her for the hat, but Marinette’s was clearly the best in execution.

Adrien flashed her a thumbs up before being whisked away to talk to Nathalie and his father via tablet.

As Marinette delicately set her hat back in the hatbox, Nathaniel walked up to her. “Great job,” he said, giving her a shy smile. “It’s really cool that you won. Can I see the hat?”

“Sure,” she replied, smiling as she pulled the hat back out and handed it to him.

“It’s really nice,” he said, running his hand over the feather. “Where’d you get a fake pigeon feather?”

“Oh, it’s real,” she replied. “I know it’s not exactly the usual way to do fashion, but this one was just sitting on the ground so _perfect!_ ”

Nathaniel dropped the hat, wrinkling his nose. “Oh. Gross.”

The hat bounced on the ground, turning onto its side, where it rolled over to Chloe as she left the courtyard. The blonde glanced down at the hat before raising up her foot and stepping on it, flattening it under her foot before walking away without a word.

Marinette rushed over to the hat, picking it up and cradling it in her hands like it was a fledgling bird. “My hat,” she muttered, staring at the bent brim in disbelief.

“Oh, sorry!” Nathaniel said, walking to her side. “I didn’t mean to drop it…”

“Miss Dupain-Cheng,” a voice said from behind her. She turned to see the face of Gabriel Agreste looking at her sternly through the tablet his secretary held. “Is there a problem with the hat?”

She shook her head, smiling a bit too widely. “Not at all! I—I was going to make some changes anyways, put in a synthetic feather for Adrien, so—it’s fine! It’s totally fine! I-if you’ll excuse me, though…”

She clutched the hat against her chest as she walked quickly away, breaking into a run as soon as she thought she was out of sight. She _wasn’t_ going to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: The Pharoah


	17. The Pharoah/Stormy Weather

Wayzz enjoyed keeping up with the goings-on in Paris. When he could, he spent time on Adrien’s computer reading the news.

When he saw that there would be an Egyptian exhibit at the Louvre, featuring the relics of the tomb of Tutankhamen, he was taken by a sudden rush of nostalgia. How long had it been since he’d been in Egypt?

It was time that Adrien learned more about the history of the Miraculous. And if Master Fu didn’t want Wayzz to tell him directly any more than he already knew—well, Wayzz would just tell him _indirectly_.

“Do you think it would be possible for you to visit the Louvre soon?” he asked his young holder as the boy got ready for school. “There is an exhibit there I’d rather like to see.”

Adrien just gave him a sheepish smile. “I’d love to, but I’m not sure Father will let me. I’ll see what I can do.”

**

Adrien luckily managed to sway Nathalie into giving him time at the Louvre. It was an educational trip, he’d said, a chance to study more about world history by checking out a new exhibit.

His bodyguard stood at a decent distance away, letting Adrien whisper to the kwami hiding in his shirt. “What is it you wanted to see?”

“Hm,” Wayzz replied, glancing around as best he could without being discovered. “Ah! There! Those hieroglyphs!”

Adrien headed to a papyrus scroll mounted on the wall. “This?”

“Yes!” Wayzz flew out from his shirt and straight up to the exhibit, reading over the ancient text. “This is important to understanding the power of the miraculous.”

“What is it?”

“A ritual, and the story of the one time it was used. This is a spell which can bring back the dead.”

“Really?” Adrien asked. “Can—what if a person is just…missing?”

Wayzz shook his head. “I know what you must be thinking, but no. This spell will not bring back your mother. Even if it could, there is a price.”

“What is it?”

“To bring back a life, one must be _given_ in return,” Wayzz said. He tapped the glass protecting the papyrus, indicating the image of a young woman. “A human sacrifice.”

Adrien paled.

“The Miraculous are capable of granting many powers and doing the impossible,” Wayzz continued. “But to change reality, to alter the course of fate, there will _always_ be a price. Hawkmoth is searching for two Miraculous in particular, which can grant any wish, but the sacrifice for the wish must be of equal power.”

“So, we can’t let him get them,” Adrien said, determination in his voice. “But how can I protect them if I don’t even know where they are?”

“That is for the best,” his kwami replied. “Another line of protection. If it were safe to tell you, I would.”

“I get it,” he said. “But—will I be able to keep learning about all this? I want to be able to stop Hawkmoth and protect my friends.”

“Protect Marinette, you mean?” Wayzz asked with an impish grin. “Yes. You will know more, when the time is right.”

“I’m telling you, the spell is real!” a voice cried from behind Adrien. Wayzz quickly flew to his hiding spot as Adrien stepped aside for a young man clutching an armful of papers. He was talking to an older man who seemed less than interested in the discussion.

“Magic spells?” the older man asked. “Jalil, I appreciate your interest in history, but you need to learn fact from fiction.”

“We live in a city where we’re terrorized on a regular basis by a magical supervillain, and you can’t believe that magic has existed throughout time?” Jalil asked, scoffing. “Dad, I will _prove_ it to you. I’ll recreate the spell and show you that the ancient Egyptians knew what they were talking about!”

As Adrien listened to this argument, Wayzz suddenly darted out of his shirt and zipped through the air. He intercepted a black butterfly and ate it, belching loudly.

Jalil and his father turned to look just as Wayzz zipped back into his hiding spot. Adrien gave them a sheepish smile. “Um, excuse me.”

Adrien’s phone buzzed, reminding him of the time. He headed towards the exit, ready to go to his scheduled photoshoot.

**

Meanwhile, Marinette was busy wrangling a little demon.

“I wanna go to the park!” Manon, her young babysitting charge, screamed at the top of her lungs. “Mari- _nette!_ Take me there now!”

“Fine, fine!” she cried. “We’ll go to the park, okay? Just—let me grab your stuff first.”

Manon tugged on Marinette’s hand down the stairs and across the street to the park.

Marinette took the little girl to the carousel at the park, paying for a ride while she sat down on a nearby bench, taking a moment to pull out her phone and call Alya. “Can you please come help me watch this little—uh, angel?”

Her friend laughed. “What did she talk you into this time?”

“The park,” Marinette replied with a groan.

“I’ll be there in five.”

When the carousel ride ended, Marinette paid for a second one as she waited for Alya to arrive. Her friend was so much better with Manon than she was.

“Hey!” Alya greeted her, sitting on the bench beside her. “Guess who I saw coming into the park? _Adrien_.”

“Cool, so?” Marinette asked.

“Don’t you want to say hi to him?”

Marinette turned, and waved once she spotted Adrien, posing beside the fountain. He grinned widely and waved back at her.

“Go on,” Alya encouraged. “I’ll watch the little monster, you go say hi.”

“You’re not letting me get out of this, are you?”

“Nope. Go.”

As Marinette started to walk towards the other side of the park, she heard a strange cracking sound behind her. She turned to find the carousel and benches around it, encased entirely in ice. “Alya! Manon!”

“We’re fine!” Alya called from inside the ice, as the little girl ran to her side. “Go get help!”

Marinette dashed off, fishing the comb out of her pocket to fix in her hair as she looked for a safe spot to transform.

**

As Adrien heard the screams from the other side of the park, he wasted no time in finding a place to hide before calling, “Wayzz! Shell on!”

When he ran out to confront whatever akuma was causing a commotion, he saw Honeybee was already on the scene, trying to break thick ice around the park’s carousel.

“Bee!” he called, getting her attention. “This way!”

A trail of destruction led down the street, towards the TV studio. The heroes followed it, dodging lightning bolts and monster hail as they went.

“Of course a weather-themed akum had to show up on such a nice day,” Honeybee grumbled. “Were you doing something fun, Cap?”

“Not really,” he replied, jumping out of the way of a flying piece of debris. “Saw the girl I like—up there, that’s the akuma!”

Honeybee squinted through the dizzying rain to see a figure flying above them, a parasol clutched in her hand that seemed to be the source of the lightning. “Looks like it’s in the parasol. So how’s the girl?”

“Still dating someone else,” he groaned. “Let’s get up to the roof, maybe I can throw you towards her and you can break the umbrella.”

Honeybee gave a silent salute before jumping up to the roof. Her mind was racing—thinking, for the first time, why was she with Nathaniel anyways?

She paused as Captain Turtle landed on the roof beside her. “Ready?” he asked. She nodded, and he made a step for her with his hands, launching her higher into the air. She tucked her body into a ball to move faster, springing out right when she reached the akuma. She grabbed the parasol and snapped it in half, releasing a black butterfly.

Captain Turtle caught the butterfly, and easily purified it.

“Good job, Cap!” Honeybee cried. “I need to get back to what I was doing—I’ll see you later!”

**

“Hey, Manon!” Marinette greeted the little girl, who ran into her arms as the wave of magic melted the ice around the carousel. “I’m sorry I was gone. I promise, I’ll stay with you till your mom gets back.”

“Okay,” Manon replied, snuggling her cheek against Marinette’s leg. “Will you go on the carousel with me, then?”

“Sure,” she said. “That sounds like fun.”

**

That night, as Captain Turtle patrolled the area, he noticed Marinette out on her balcony, sitting with her knees hugged to her chest. He jumped over to see her.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” she replied. “What’s up?”

“You look kind of down,” he said.

She sighed. “Remember we talked about me dating someone else? Since you and I can’t…yeah?”

He nodded.

“I had a boyfriend for a little while,” she continued. “I just broke up with him.”

“Oh,” Captain Turtle said, trying to quell the little spark of hope in his chest.

“He just wasn’t right for me,” Marinette muttered. “And it’s not like he was you.”

He leaned against the railing of the balcony beside her. “If it was safe to be with you…”

“I know,” she said. “I get it. But can you just hang out with me for a little bit? I don’t want to be lonely.”

“Of course,” he said, giving her a soft smile. “I won’t leave you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Animan


	18. Animan

By the end of the next day, the whole school knew Marinette and Nathaniel had broken up.

This led to Nino pulling Adrien aside after and saying, “Dude, we need to talk.”

“What’s up?”

“I want to ask out Marinette,” he said bluntly. “But I know you’ve been crushing on her, so…”

“Oh,” Adrien replied. “Yeah, that’s—that’s okay. I don’t think she likes me, anyways, a-and if she likes _you_ …it’s fine. Really.”

Nino just raised an eyebrow. “Okay, dude, it’s obviously _not_ fine.”

“It is!”

“You look like you want to curl up in your shell and cry over it.”

Adrien sighed. “Look, Nino, I’m glad you’re asking me, but—I’m not going to stand in your way if you want to date her. I’ll get over it.”

Nino shook his head. “No. I’m not putting you through this. Neither of us dates her.”

“Too bad we can’t _both_ date her, huh?”

“Dude! You’re a genius!” Before Nino could explain why exactly Adrien was so smart, he pulled his friend along, heading towards Alya and Marinette as they left the school. “Ladies.”

“Gentlemen,” Alya said coolly.

“Are you two free tomorrow?” he asked. “I heard there’s a new panther exhibit at the zoo.”

“Okay, which one of us are you trying to ask out?” Alya asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, both?” Nino replied unsurely. “You two lovely ladies, me and my bro, it’ll be a group hangout-date-thing…”

Alya turned to Marinette, and they had a silent conversation with their expressions—somehow. “Fine. We’ll meet you two there.”

“Cool,” Nino replied, giving them a finger gun gesture before he realized what he was doing.

Alya put her hands on top of his and pushed them down gently. “Just so you know, my dad works at the zoo, so if you two are anything less than _perfect gentlemen_ to me and my girl here, I can and will sic the tigers on you.”

Nino swallowed hard. “G-got it.”

**

The four met at the zoo the following day. It was a nice day for a zoo visit—sunny but not too hot, enough that the animals were active and enjoying themselves.

As they walked around the zoo, they fell into walking two by two—Marinette next to Adrien, and Alya next to Nino. Alya was not blind, and noticed the looks Nino kept giving her friend.

“You like her, don’t you?” she asked, quietly so the others didn’t hear.

“That obvious?” he asked in reply. “Yeah. But, so does Adrien, and—if she likes him more, that’s cool.”

“I don’t think she likes him any more,” Alya said. “Those two just walk freakishly fast.”

Nino laughed. “Yeah, they do. Besides, it’s really not bad being back here with you.”

Alya turned away before he noticed the blush on her face.

**

As they headed towards the lion exhibit, the four noticed a crowd of people running past them, screaming in terror. The teenagers started to follow the crowd as soon as they noticed the _bear_ running straight for them.

Adrien took a turn away from the rest, ducking behind a bush. “Wayzz! Shell on!”

He leapt out to confront the bear, only to find Honeybee already there, facing its immobilized form.

“It’s not an akuma,” she said. “I could sting it.”

“There’s still something strange going on,” he said, glancing around. “All the enclosures are empty…”

A scream rang out over the zoo. The heroes exchanged a glance before running towards the source of the sound. They found Kim and Max cowering in a corner as a large black panther stalked towards them.

“Shellter!” Captain Turtle cried, creating a barrier in front of the teenagers.

The panther pawed at it for a few moments before dropping back down and baring his teeth. Suddenly, it _spoke_ , surprising both heroes. “Fine. I’m not picky about who my prey is.”

“Get them out of here,” Captain said. “I’ll hold off this guy.”

Honeybee offered her arms to Kim and Max, who clung to her like a lifeline as she jumped up and away from the akuma. She brought them out of the zoo, setting them down in front of a nearby building. “Head inside and don’t come out till this is all over,” she instructed.

“Y-yes Ma’am!” Kim replied, rushing into the building.

Honeybee’s comb began to beep, and she dashed off to find a place to hide while she fed Pollen.

**

Adrien had to run away from the panther as soon as his Miraculous began to count down. He jumped over buildings and moved around random street corners to make sure he lost the incredibly fast animal. He finally dropped his transformation on a rooftop, but as he made sure Wayzz had a snack, someone joined him.

Honeybee landed on the roof, giving him a confused glance. “Adrien? What are you doing up here?”

“I, uh—Captain Turtle brought me up here,” he said, not technically lying.

“All right,” she said. “Do you know which way he went?”

“That way,” he replied, pointing a random direction.

“Do you need a lift back down?”

Adrien hesitated. He couldn’t exactly say no, he was fine, but he wasn’t really counting on this happening, either. He made sure Wayzz was secure in his pocket before replying, “Yeah. That’d be nice.”

He found himself suddenly swept into Honeybee’s arms, the closest he’d ever been to his partner without his own mask on. She had little freckles visible just underneath the mask. It was pretty cute, reminded him a little bit of Marinette’s freckles that he could see only when she blushed.

She jumped down and made sure he was good on his feet before leaping away. He watched her leave before calling for his own transformation again.

**

When Captain Turtle reached Honeybee and the akuma, he found her trying to catch him with the cord of her trompo, but he had a habit of transforming into smaller creatures to escape her grasp.

“So he can shapeshift,” Captain noted. “Good to know. How are you doing, Bee?”

“I can keep this up all day,” she replied, dodging the akuma’s now bear claws. “I think he’s getting tired, though.”

“Am…not!” the akuma panted.

“Anyways, pretty sure it’s in his bracelet,” Honeybee continued, ducking as a gator’s jaws snapped towards her head. “I’ll just keep this up for a little while longer…”

As she dodged again, the akuma suddenly grew in size and roared as a tyrannosaurus rex. It bent down to Honeybee, looking _very_ hungry.

Captain couldn’t let his partner get _eaten_. He ran towards her, pushing her aside as the dinosaur’s jaws closed around him.

Honeybee _screamed_. She fell to her knees on the ground, staring at the dinosaur as she tried to process what just happened.

The lizard stalked towards her, but suddenly stopped, its mouth being forced open by a growing green ball of energy.

“Get the bracelet!” Captain cried from inside his barrier. Honeybee didn’t hesitate, darting forward to grab the bracelet from the dinosaur’s tiny arm and snapping it in half, releasing a black butterfly. The dinosaur turned back into a person, with Captain Turtle safely outside his jaws.

Once he’d captured and purified the butterfly, Honeybee raced towards him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her forehead against his chest.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she murmured. “I don’t know how to do this without you.”

“Hey,” he said, moving his hand beneath her chin to lift her gaze up to his, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You better not,” she said, finally smiling. “If you die, I’m going to kick your butt.”

Captain laughed as his bracelet began to beep. “I’ve gotta go. Can you make sure he gets to where he needs to be?”

Honeybee nodded, stepping back and giving Captain a salute. “I’ll see you later!”

**

When Marinette made her way back to the zoo as herself again, she found herself being swept into a hug with Alya.

“Where were you?” her friend cried. “You and Adrien totally got separated from us!”

“I was hiding,” Marinette replied. She could see that nearby, Adrien was getting the same treatment from Nino. “Where were _you_?”

“My dad’s office,” Alya said. “I know where he keeps his tranq gun, so it seemed like the safest place. Besides, huddling under his desk with Nino wasn’t bad at _all_.”

She laughed. “Glad to hear at least one of us had fun on the date.”

“You know, Nino says Adrien _really_ likes you…”

Marinette groaned. “No. I don’t need _two_ of you meddling with my love life! Adrien’s just a friend.”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “Sure, M.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Puppeteer
> 
> Coming up to the end of season 1! that means the plot can start


	19. The Puppeteer

“Marinette?”

The teenager glanced down to where her young babysitting charge, Manon, sat on the floor. “What is it?”

“Do you think Honeybee and Captain Turtle are in love?” Manon held up two small plushies of the heroes in question.

Marinette smiled. “I think so. But I think they know they have to focus on saving Paris instead of being with each other.”

“Yeah!” Manon replied. “To fight all the baddies! Marinette, come play with me!”

Marinette grabbed some other dolls she was working on, some past akuma victims, and held them up menacingly. “Captain Turtle! Honeybee! You’ve foiled our evil schemes for the last time! Muahahaha!”

“No!” Manon cried, holding up the Honeybee doll. “We’ll defeat you! With the power of love!”

“Manon,” a voice called from downstairs. “It’s time to go, honey.”

The little girl turned to Marinette, her eyes wide and purposely cute. “Can I borrow one of your dolls? Pleeeease?”

Marinette chuckled. “Okay, you can borrow Lady Wifi. Just make sure to bring her back next time, okay?”

Manon cheered, stuffing the doll into her backpack before running downstairs to meet her mother.

**

Later that afternoon, Marinette met up with Alya, intending to see a newly-released movie. They got on the Metro together, and Marinette noticed Adrien in another car. She gave him a wave, smiling when he waved back.

“You know you could just ask him out,” Alya said. “He’s into you.”

“As you keep reminding me,” Marinette replied with a sigh. “He’s a nice guy, I’m just not interested in him like that.”

Suddenly, a bright light surrounded Alya, transforming her clothing until she was dressed just like Lady Wifi. “Marinette!” she cried, pointing at her friend. “Give me those dolls!”

“Dolls?” Marinette asked.

“The ones we were playing with!”

Her eyes widened. “Manon? But—the dolls are back at my house! What’s going on?”

“I’m going to get them, and you can’t stop me!” Lady Wifi cried, flicking a symbol out from her phone and riding it out of the now stopped subway car.

Panicked passengers streamed out of the cars. Marinette waited till she was alone before fixing her comb in her hair. “Pollen—”

She was stopped when she saw someone moving outside the car. She stepped out curiously, and found herself face-to-face with Captain Turtle.

“Marinette!” he cried, stepping towards her and lightly grabbing her by the upper arms. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“My friend, she just turned into Lady Wifi,” she replied, unable to control the soft blush at his touch. “But she sounded like a girl I babysit, who really likes these dolls I made of you and—Honeybee.”

Captain nodded. “Did she say where she was going?”

“My house.”

He nodded again, and abruptly pulled her close into a tight hug. “Stay safe, okay?”

“I will,” she said. “I trust you.”

As soon as he left the subway tunnel, Marinette finally transformed.

**

Honeybee went straight to her house, jumping in through the balcony to find Lady Wifi picking up dolls from her desk. “Petty theft? Really?”

“Marinette said I could play with these!” Lady Wifi replied, stamping her foot. “Where’s the Captain Turtle one?”

Honeybee glanced towards her bed, where the doll lay smiling. She quickly jumped up to it, grabbing the doll before Lady Wifi could. “You’ve got most of the dolls, it’s time to leave!” she cried.

“She’s right, it’s not nice to steal things,” Captain Turtle said suddenly from the open skylight. “Now, why don’t you give those back?”

“I don’t wanna!” Lady Wifi cried. She jumped out of the window, riding away on another symbol from her phone.

“Where’s she going?” Captain asked.

“My guess is the TVi studio,” Honeybee replied. “Call it a hunch.”

“I trust your hunch,” he said with a grin. “Let’s go!”

**

The heroes burst into the studio to see Lady Wifi on a monitor beside a little girl dressed in the tacky colors only an akuma would wear.

“We’ve gotta get to the soundstage,” Captain Turtle said. “Come on!”

They ran up the stairs, but just as they entered the stage, Honeybee became awash with light, before turning to smirk at Captain Turtle.

“Bee?” he asked.

“Give me the doll!” she cried suddenly, launching herself at him. He deflected her, pushing her aside as he glanced up at the floating little girl.

“Come and get it,” he said, running through the doors again, heading up the stairs.

Lady Wifi, Honeybee, and the girl chased after him, but he met Evillustrator on the roof first.

“Not _you_ again,” he said, hurling his shield at the villain. “Marinette deserved better than you!”

Evillustrator ducked and cried out, “Give me that doll!” as the girls burst onto the roof.

Honeybee raced towards Captain, her trompo out and ready to sting. He jumped past her and collided briefly with Lady Wifi, who pointed her phone at him. He ducked right as she swiped, causing a pause button to hit the girl.

Captain Turtle plucked the wand the little girl held from her hand and snapped it in half, releasing the akuma. “Miracle Turtle!”

**

That night, Captain Turtle visited Marinette’s balcony, clutching the dolls that had been forgotten in the madness. They were well-made, and he really had to appreciate the work she put into them.

As he set them down on a little table on the balcony, the skylight opened and Marinette stuck her head out. “Oh. Hi.”

“Hi,” he said with a smile. “I’m just bringing these back for you.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “And th-thank you for keeping me safe today.”

“Of course.” He handed her the dolls, his fingers resting on Evillustrator’s. “So—why this one?”

She glanced at the doll and sighed. “I _wanted_ to like him. I really did. But he wasn’t really the one for me.”

“You’ll find the perfect guy,” Captain said.

She smiled at him. “I already have, and I can’t be with him.”

He laughed. “I am _not_ perfect. And as soon as Honeybee and I defeat Hawkmoth, I promise, I’ll ask you out on a real date.”

“Don’t say things like that,” she murmured. “You’ll get my hopes up.”

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Marinette, without hope, there’s just a lot of loneliness. I’m hoping every day I can be with you, and I have to believe it _will_ happen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Simon Says


	20. Simon Says

“You’re gonna win,” Adrien said, his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Mayor Bourgeois won’t know what hit him.”

Nino laughed. “Thanks, dude. And thanks for coming! How’d you manage to let your dad let you out?”

“I didn’t tell him where we were going, exactly.”

They both laughed as they headed inside the TVi studio, where Nino would be competing on one of their reality TV shows.

Alya was waiting for them in the lobby. She gave Adrien a sympathetic look before saying, “Sorry, guys, Marinette isn’t coming. She got grounded.”

Adrien tried to ignore the ugly pit that grew in his stomach. “That’s okay,” he said. “We’re here for Nino anyways, right?”

“Right,” Alya agreed. She greeted Nino with a kiss on the cheek before the three headed to the elevator.

**

Mayor Bourgeois nodded his head to the beat of Nino’s music within a minute, making him win the challenge easily. Adrien and Alya applauded from just off camera, and the three settled in to watch the next contestant perform.

“Your challenge is to hypnotize Gabriel Agreste!” Alec Cataldi announced, as a video call with Adrien’s father started on the stage.

Adrien groaned. “This isn’t going to go well.”

“Poor guy,” Alya said. “It can’t go that badly, right?”

It could. The next contestant ran out of the room when he was disqualified within seconds.

**

No one was surprised when an akuma burst into the room, calling himself Simon Says and hypnotizing people right and left. Alec was hit, along with Adrien’s bodyguard, as Adrien, Alya, and Nino ran out of the room.

“We should split up,” Adrien suggested. “Make it harder for him to find all of us.”

“Right,” Nino replied. “We’ll meet up back at the lobby!”

Adrien ducked into a nearby empty office and transformed before running back out to the studio—just in time to hear Simon Says announce he was going after Gabriel Agreste.

Captain Turtle threw his shield at the akuma, knocking the deck of cards out of his hand. They both raced to grab it, but Simon Says was just a little faster.

“Simon Says: attack that turtle!” he cried, sending a card flying at Adrien’s bodyguard. The hulking man turned and _charged_ towards the hero.

“Shellter!” Captain cried, tossing up the barrier around himself. He watched the akuma run away as his bodyguard started pounding on the energy shield.

**

Honeybee ran into the lobby of the building, having seen the akuma’s appearance on TV. She nearly tripped over herself when she ran across Nino.

“Honeybee!” he cried. “You’ve gotta help, my best bro’s still up there!”

“I’ll make sure he’s safe,” she promised. “You need to get out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere without Adrien!”

She nodded as she saw the sincerity in his expression. “Stay here. I’ll find him.” She ran up the stairs, heading up to the TV studio. She kicked in the doors to see Adrien’s bodyguard attacking Captain Turtle.

“Bee!” he cried when he saw her. “This isn’t the akuma—you can sting him!”

“Venom!” she shouted, before vaulting across the room and stabbing her trompo into the bodyguard’s back. He grunted before freezing completely, and Captain dropped the shield.

“Thanks,” Captain said, giving her a smile. “We’re both going to need to feed our kwamis soon, but then—the akuma’s going to m-Gabriel Agreste’s house.”

Honeybee nodded. “And we need to find Adrien Agreste. His friend’s downstairs, really worried about him.”

“Nino?” Captain asked, an inscrutable expression on his face. “I—yeah. Feed kwamis first, then find Adrien. We’ll meet up at the Agreste house.”

He dashed out of the room and into the stairwell, quickly releasing his transformation and pulling a small matcha-flavored gummy out of his pocket for Wayzz.

“Thank you,” the kwami said politely before beginning to eat the imported treat.

“We don’t have much time,” Adrien said, his voice straining to stay quiet. “I have to get home before Honeybee gets there, and tell her I found—myself.”

The door to the stairwell suddenly opened, and Honeybee called, “Adrien? Are you in here?”

Wayzz flew into Adrien’s shirt as he called back, “Yeah, I’m here!”

“Good,” she said, heading down the stairs towards him. “Your friend’s worried about you. Mind coming with me downstairs?”

**

Adrien didn’t get another moment to himself till he arrived home, guided by Honeybee as Nino had returned to _his_ home, and escaped to his bedroom. He transformed, and darted out the window before re-entering his house through the front door.

He found his father talking to Honeybee in the foyer, looming over her as he reached out to touch her hair comb. He felt sorry for her, the obvious apprehension on her face, but there was no point in trying to interrupt his father’s curiosity.

Honeybee stepped back and cast a glance at him. Captain cleared his throat, catching Gabriel’s attention.

“Activate the security system,” he said. “Lock down the mansion, and that’ll keep the akuma’s minions out.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “And how do you know about the security system?”

Before he could answer, Honeybee retorted, “You’re rich, famous, and live in a _mansion_. Of course you have a security system. Listen to the Captain.”

Gabriel walked calmly to a panel on the wall and pressed a button, lowering metal shields around the entire building.

Captain Turtle tried not to shudder at the sight of the walls locking them inside. He turned to Gabriel and said, “You need to get somewhere else. It’s not safe out here.”

“I’ll go when I choose to,” he replied coldly. “I don’t take orders from anyone, including superheroes.”

Captain rolled his eyes, muttering, “You sure have no problem _giving_ orders.”

“ _Listen_ to him,” Honeybee said, stepping back towards Gabriel and drawing herself up to her full height, still a head below the fashion mogul. “If you don’t listen, and you die, that’s on _you_.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, and Captain flinched, mentally bracing for the cold words that would follow. But instead, he simply said, “You’re right. I’ll go. I have a panic room of sorts in the basement—I’ll lock myself in there. There is no need to follow me.”

Captain Turtle stood dumbfounded as he watched his father walk towards his office. He wasn’t aware the house _had_ a basement, much less one accessed via his father’s office. He knew the man could be secretive, but this?

Before Gabriel could get too far, or Captain could think too much, the metal shield around the house dented and broke open, a mob of mind-controlled citizens streaming into the mansion. They grabbed Gabriel Agreste and marched him out before the heroes reacted.

“They’re probably taking him back to the studio,” Honeybee said. “We should go.”

Captain glanced towards the direction of Gabriel’s office. “You go,” he said. “I’ll follow in just a minute.”

Honeybee frowned. “Cap, you all right?”

“There’s just something I need to do.”

She hesitated for just a moment, her gaze searching his, but then she darted off, following the crowd.

Captain Turtle glanced around, making sure he was alone and out of sight of the security cameras before saying, “Shell off.”

Wayzz floated out of his bracelet. “What is it? You haven’t caught the akuma yet.”

“My father’s hiding something,” Adrien replied. “This might be my only chance to find out what.”

“I see,” Wayzz said with a nod.

“Come on,” Adrien said, heading to the office. He started poking around, searching for some passage to a basement.

Wayzz did the same, floating in and out of the walls. He suddenly emerged from a portrait of Adrien’s mother and announced, “There’s a safe back here.”

“What?” Adrien asked, approaching the portrait. He studied it carefully and reached out to touch the painted oils, his fingers sinking into hidden buttons. He brought his hands back quickly as the floor beneath him shifted, lowering him into a hidden elevator. “Wayzz?”

The kwami floated down, following his holder. “You did not know of this?”

“No,” Adrien replied, shaking his head. “There’s a lot he doesn’t tell me.”

The elevator shaft suddenly changed to a glass tube, revealing a large open space full of flowers and a single container with a figure inside.

Adrien pressed up against the side of the elevator, straining to see in the darkness. The figure looked familiar, but couldn’t be—“Mom?”

“Young master,” Wayzz said suddenly, flitting in his face. “There is no time for this. There is still an akuma!”

“She’s—she’s not missing,” Adrien said, his voice hollow. “He never told me. H-how long has she—”

“Adrien!” Wayzz cried. “Time is of the essence!”

He blinked, forcefully turning away as the elevator finally opened. He pressed a button to send it back up as he said, “Wayzz, shell on.”

**

Honeybee’s comb was rapidly beeping as she leapt around on the roof of the TVi building, dodging cards from Simon Says. Gabriel Agreste stood frozen on the edge of the building, the black mark of her stinger on his hand.

Suddenly, a green forcefield encased Simon Says. As he tried to escape, Captain Turtle threw his shield into the forcefield, letting it snag the edge of the akuma’s box of cards and bring it to his hand. He ripped the box in half, releasing the akuma before purifying it and casting the cure.

Honeybee grabbed Gabriel, pulling him back from the edge of the building before her Venom wore off. She glanced around for a place to hide and drop her transformation, and noticed Captain Turtle was already gone.

**

She didn’t see Captain Turtle again till that evening, when she heard a soft thump on the balcony above her bedroom. She headed up the ladder to see the superhero there, his arms around himself and a look of distress on his face.

As soon as he saw her, he rushed towards her, practically collapsing in her arms.

“What is it?” she asked.

“He—he has my mother,” Captain managed to reply, before the tears finally overtook him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tosses my original plot out the window, we're going with this now*


	21. Volpina

Marinette headed up to her balcony with two mugs of hot chocolate and a look of grim determination on her face. She handed one to Captain Turtle and said, “Start at the beginning. _Who_ has your mom?”

Captain hesitated for a long time, before finally replying, “My father. He has her in some sort of _coffin_ in a basement I didn’t even know about.”

“A coffin?”

He nodded. “I don’t—I don’t know if she’s still alive.”

Marinette gently took the untouched mug from his hands before wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. “Oh, Cap…”

“What do I do?” he asked, his voice small, muffled as he rested his head on her shoulder.

Marinette bit her lip, her mind racing. She didn’t know what to do—but she had an idea of who might know.

“Is it okay if I leave you alone for a few minutes?” she asked. “I, uh, forgot cookies. To go with the hot chocolate.”

He nodded, and she darted back inside.

“Pollen!” she hissed as she headed down to the kitchen. “What do I do? How can I help him?”

“Don’t you have police to handle these sorts of things?” the kwami asked.

“Well, yeah, but if the police did their job better, we wouldn’t need to be fighting akumas,” Marinette replied, angrily yanking open a cabinet to grab a plate for cookies.

“Ah, of course,” Pollen replied. “I understand, a Queen must be able to handle every situation…for this, I would recommend talking to the Guardian.”

“The Guardian?”

“The one who gave you my comb,” she replied. “Captain Turtle’s kwami knows him well, you only have to suggest the idea to your drone.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Cap is my _friend_ , not my _drone_. But, thank you.”

As she headed back up to the balcony, she couldn’t stop her heart from fluttering at the sincere smile Captain Turtle gave her.

“So, do you have like, a superhero mentor or someone you can talk to, maybe?” she asked. “I really do want to help you, but…”

He perked up. “There is someone! Thank you, Marinette!” He stepped towards her and pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning to jump off the balcony.

“Wait!” she cried. When he glanced back at her, she said, “You’re upset. Please, stay for the hot chocolate, at least, and calm down. I-I’m worried about you.”

“Marinette,” he murmured, giving her that smile again. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to calm down, but don’t worry about me.”

“A-are you sure?”

“I’m a superhero,” he said, his smile growing into a cocky grin. “I can handle myself.” With that, he jumped off the balcony, running into the night.

**

Captain Turtle dropped his transformation in an alley near Master Fu’s shop. Wayzz flitted out in front of the distraught teen, blocking his path.

“I know you are upset, young Master—”

“My father has my mother’s body stored in a secret basement, and the only people I can tell are my not girlfriend and an old guy who doesn’t want to talk to me!” he cried. “Of course I’m _fucking_ upset!”

His eyes widened, and he slumped back against the alley wall.

“I-I’m sorry for swearing at you, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“Adrien,” Wayzz said firmly. “You must return to your father’s office. There was something in that safe I saw that Master Fu _must_ see. It will allow him to help you, and your mother.”

Adrien swallowed, the simple action taking more effort than expected. “Okay. But—how do I open the safe?”

“I can help.”

**

The security system around the mansion had been lifted. Adrien was able to sneak in without setting off alarms and slip into his father’s office.

Wayzz flew into the painting, and after a moment, it swung open with a large steel safe door. Inside were a few papers, a peacock-shaped brooch, and a large book.

“Here,” the kwami said, resting on the book. “Bring this to the Guardian.”

“An old book?” Adrien asked, taking it and flipping it open to a random page. It showed a watercolor illustration of a man dressed in all black, wielding a staff. The opposite page showed a black ring with a green pawprint. “What is this?”

“I will explain later,” Wayzz replied. “We must hurry, before you are seen—grab the brooch as well!”

**

It was close to midnight when Adrien knocked on Master Fu’s door. Wayzz zipped inside to make sure the old man was awake.

As Adrien waited, he flipped open the book again, admiring the images since he couldn’t read the text. He traced his finger over the image of a girl wearing red with black spots. She looked fiercely determined and beautiful.

He slammed the book shut as the door opened and Master Fu beckoned him inside. “Wayzz has told me what’s happening. Please, come in, now.”

Adrien sat on a cushion as Master Fu put a kettle on for tea. “So, what do I do? How do I help my mom?”

“I fear there is more to the situation that you do not realize,” Master Fu replied, settling across from Adrien. “The book you hold in your hands is a relic of the Guardians of the Miraculous. I thought it had been lost for years.”

“What?” Adrien asked, looking down at the old tome. “Why does my father have it?”

“I have…suspicions,” the old man replied, casting a glance at Wayzz, “but I do not know the answer for certain. What matters is that it’s back in the proper hands now. And, once I decipher the text, we will be one step closer to defeating Hawkmoth.” He held out a hand for the book, and Adrien handed it over without hesitation.

“Okay, but, what do I do now?” he asked. “I can’t just leave my mom down there. But I don’t know if I can go home either…”

“Stay here,” Fu replied. “I have a futon you may use, the spare room over there. The secrets in this book will be able to help your mother without arousing too much suspicion in the meantime. Now, do you have the brooch as well?”

Adrien pulled the small pin from his pocket. “Here.”

The Guardian smiled as he carefully cradled the jewel in his hands. “Thank you. Now, get some rest. Go to school in the morning, and act as though everything is normal. I will handle everything from here.”

**

Adrien texted Nathalie and the Gorilla in the morning, letting them know he was at school already and safe. They didn’t need to know how he’d gotten there.

He headed towards the classroom when he found himself stopped by a girl walking into his path. She smiled brightly at him and asked, “Hi, are you Adrien Agreste?”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied. “I’m sorry, I don’t do autographs at school…”

She laughed, waving her hand in front of her face. “Oh, don’t worry! I know how hard it is to deal with fans when you’re just trying to be normal. I’m Lila Rossi, I just transferred here.”

“Um, hi,” he said, shaking her hand. “So, how can I help you?”

“Well, since you’re _also_ a new student, I thought it would be _so_ sweet if you could help show me the ropes!” she said. “Principal Damocles already said it was okay, and I’m in your class!”

“Sure,” he replied. “Let me just get to my locker first, okay?”

She followed him like an eager puppy, telling him all about her adventures in Italy and her brushes with celebrities. It was all a little too incredible to be true, but he nodded and “mm-hm”ed at the right moments.

The bell rang, and Adrien turned to the new girl to let her know, “We need to get to class now.”

“Oh, but Principal Damocles said you should give me a tour of the school!” Lila said. “Please?”

He bit back a sigh. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s go to, uh, the library.”

As they passed by the school entrance, his attention was drawn by Marinette running in, scrambling to get to the classroom before the next bell rang. She looked _exhausted_ , and he hoped it wasn’t because of his late night visit.

“Who’s she?” Lila asked.

“That’s Marinette,” he replied as they walked into the library. “She’s in our class. You’ll really like her, she’s pretty much the most amazing girl I’ve ever met.”

Lila smiled knowingly. “You’ve got a soft spot for her, don’t you?”

Adrien’s cheeks turned pink. “Yeah, kinda.”

He missed the way Lila’s expression changed, the frown she wore for a moment before he glanced back at her. “Anyways, here’s the library.”

The tour of the school took most of the morning, as Lila had unending questions about their classmates and about Paris. She seemed especially interested in Captain Turtle, wanting to hear all about him and Honeybee and the akumas.

Finally, an alarm went off on his phone, reminding him of the midday photoshoot he’d had scheduled. He was still planning to go to that—he didn’t want to worry Nathalie with all that was going on. So he excused himself and directed Lila to the classroom.

“Wait!” she called. “Can I see you later? I have something really cool I want to tell you.”

“Sure,” he replied. “I’ll meet you in the park after school.”

**

Once Adrien escaped from the photoshoot, assured that his father wouldn’t think about what he was doing for another day at least, he headed to the park near the school.

Lila was already there, and waved him towards a bench. “Adrien! Hi!”

“Hey,” he said, sitting down next to her. “So, what did you want to tell me?”

“Well, I had to make sure you were trustworthy first,” she said, before lowering her voice and dropping the bombshell. “I’m friends with Captain Turtle! Isn’t that awesome?”

He carefully schooled his features, hiding his laughter. “Okay, Lila, your stories have been kind of out there, but this one I _know_ isn’t true. You don’t need to lie to fit in, you know.”

She scowled. “I’m not lying. I’m a superhero too.”

“Oh, you’re Honeybee?”

“No, I’m a fox!” she snapped. “Named Volpina! And I did a lot of superheroing in Italy so now I work with Captain Turtle and Honeybee!”

He stood from the bench. “Sure. Sorry, but there’s somewhere I have to be.” He ignored her pleas to return as he walked away, heading back to Master Fu’s shop.

**

As he got off the metro, Adrien heard screams from the street level. He raced up to see a giant meteor in the sky, hurtling towards the ground. He ducked into a nearby alley, transformed, and jumped on the rooftops, prepared to use his shield to protect the entire city if necessary.

But before he could get to it, an orange blur sped past him. The blur stopped in front of the meteor, revealing herself to be a flying girl in an orange and white costume, and she swung the flute she carried, batting the meteor back into the atmosphere.

She flew off, and Captain changed directions to follow her. He landed on a roof beside the mysterious girl at the same time as Honeybee joined them.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“My name’s Volpina,” she replied with a smile. “New superhero in town. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Really,” Captain said, his voice flat. “Volpina.”

“It’s good to meet you!” Honeybee said with a wide grin. “We could really use some help, the akumas around here keep getting tougher.”

“Speaking of help, I need you two right now,” Volpina said. “I saw Hawkmoth on the way to the meteor, we need to get him!”

She flew off again, and Honeybee followed. Captain Turtle frowned, but leapt after them.

When he finally caught up with the two of them, they were facing off, each holding their weapons tightly as they stood, watching each other intently.

“What’s going on?” Captain asked.

“She’s an akuma,” Honeybee replied, her voice hard as she spat the words. “Tried to attack me, and I couldn’t sting her.”

“Hawkmoth promised to make me a _real_ hero if I help him,” Volpina sneered. “And what have you two really done for the city, anyways?”

“A lot more than you,” Captain retorted. “All you’ve done since coming to Paris is lie to everyone.”

She scoffed. “Were you talking to that Agreste kid? He doesn’t know anything. People only know what I _want_ them to know.”

“You’re not as good a liar as you think you are,” he taunted. “And you’re definitely not good at being a hero.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because you need to pay better attention to your surroundings,” Honeybee said, suddenly right beside her. She’d been inching closer while Adrien had the akuma’s attention, and it was suddenly so easy to reach out and grab the first thing she could—Volpina’s necklace. She cracked it, and the black butterfly came flittering out.

“That was a lucky guess,” Captain remarked as he threw his shield to catch the butterfly. “Miracle Turtle!”

The green light crawled across the area, turning Volpina back into Lila. Honeybee knelt beside the girl and asked softly, “Are you okay? Do you remember what happened?”

“I just got so mad,” she muttered, looking genuinely contrite. “The guy I like accused me of lying, and I was just trying to get him to notice me…”

“You don’t have to lie to get noticed,” Captain said, the words coming out harshly. Both girls turned to look at him, Honeybee confused and Lila _glaring_.

“Cap, maybe you should go, get some rest,” Honeybee suggested, using the kind of voice one uses to talk to animals or small children. “I’ll get her to safety.”

Captain scowled before jumping off the rooftop, heading away from the scene.

“ _Thank you_ , Honeybee,” Lila said with a smile. “You’re the _true_ hero here. He should be the sidekick, not you.”

“We’re partners,” Honeybee said. “He’s just having a bad day or something.”

**

Adrien dropped his transformation a few blocks from Master Fu’s shop, and walked the rest of the way while talking to Wayzz.

“You should have been nicer to her,” the kwami admonished. “It is not wise to make enemies when Hawkmoth is able to weaponize emotions against you.”

“I know,” Adrien replied with a sigh. “She just got under my skin. She says she’s got a crush on me, and that just makes me…ugh.” He dramatically shivered to prove his point.

“Please be careful, young Master,” Wayzz said as they reached the shop.

Adrien nodded, and fished in his pocket for the key Master Fu had given him. He opened the door and walked inside to hear high pitched joyful cries as a blue blur whipped around the room.

“What’s going on?” Adrien asked, shouting to be heard over the noise.

The blur came to a stop in front of him. Another kwami, this one blue with red-spotted tailfeathers. “Oh!” he cried, clapping his small paws together. “You look just like her!”

“What?” he asked. “Who are you?”

“Ah, Adrien,” Master Fu said, entering the room. “You’re back. I want you to meet Duusu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: The Collector


	22. The Collector

“Duusu is the kwami of the Peacock Miraculous,” Master Fu said, as Adrien stared at the creature flying in spirals. “He’s been lost for many years.”

“Peacock—do you mean that brooch I grabbed?” Adrien asked. At Fu’s nod, he wondered aloud, “Why would my father have that?”

Fu sighed. “Come, Adrien. It is better you are sitting for this.”

Adrien followed him, and knelt at the small table beside Fu’s kitchen. The old man settled himself down, and set the brooch and book on the table.

“There are few reasons that your father would have these in his possession,” Fu said. “They were lost in Tibet many years ago…along with the Butterfly.”

Adrien paled. “You can’t mean…”

“I believe your father is Hawkmoth.”

Adrien’s hands clenched into fists, his fingernails digging small crescents into his palm. “No. He’s… _no!_ ”

Wayzz floated out from Adrien’s pocket, settling on the table in front of him. “I’m sorry, young Master, but I believe the Guardian is correct. I have felt Hawkmoth’s kwami’s presence in your home.”

The teenager gave his kwami a look of such anguish. “You _knew_? You didn’t tell me?”

“I am sorry,” Wayzz replied, not able to meet his holder’s eyes. “I am _truly_ sorry.”

“You need to return home,” Master Fu said. “Find where your father has his Miraculous, and bring it back to me.”

Bile rose in the back of Adrien’s throat. “But—he’s lied to me, he has Mom in some sort of secret underground—I can’t go back.”

“You _must_ ,” Fu said sharply. “This is the _only_ way to help your mother, by not arousing suspicion until we have _everything_ back in safe hands.”

Adrien’s hands clenched again, his knuckles white, but he released the tension in them as he drew himself to sitting perfectly upright. “I understand. I’ll handle it, sir.”

Fu nodded, but Wayzz simply sighed as he went back to Adrien’s pocket as the boy left.

**

Adrien walked a distance away from Master Fu’s shop before calling the Gorilla to bring him home. He knew he’d be in deep trouble for being away from the mansion, but that wasn’t really his biggest issue at the moment.

“It may not be your father,” Wayzz murmured, resting on Adrien’s shoulder as they waited. “I felt Nooroo’s presence, but it could be another person holding the miraculous.”

“No one else has my mom held hostage,” Adrien mumbled. “Master Fu has to be right.”

“If you disagree with him, you _can_ say something,” Wayzz said. “He is not the same as your father.”

Adrien shook his head. “No, it’s okay. He’s right.”

The Gorilla pulled the car up to the curb as Wayzz hid himself again.

**

As they approached the front door of the house, loud shouting and crashes could be heard from within. The Gorilla moved a hand in front of Adrien to stop him before checking inside.

He came out a moment later and put his hands on the teen’s shoulders, steering him past the chaos and the noise and leading him directly to his bedroom. He gave a nod before shutting the door.

“I wonder what that’s about?” Adrien muttered.

“I do not know, but it is worrying,” Wayzz replied, floating out of his pocket.

Adrien shook his head. “I—I can’t stay here right now. Wayzz, shell on!”

**

Captain Turtle leapt across rooftops, headed towards Marinette’s balcony, when he heard screams coming from behind him. He stopped in his path and turned to see an akuma following him, swiping something in his hand at buildings and people alike, making them disappear.

When Captain turned, the akuma seemed to notice him before running away, heading right towards the Agreste mansion.

Captain followed, quickly calling Honeybee, hoping she’d get the message in time. He arrived back at his house just as she arrived, meeting him just outside.

“Who’s the akuma?” she asked.

“Not sure yet,” Captain replied. “But he’s making things disappear—looks like he’s using that notebook in his hand. Watch out!”

Honeybee leapt out of the way of the oncoming akuma, landing inside Adrien’s room through the open window. She threw her trompo out, trying to knock the notebook out of his hand, but he simply caught the weapon in a sketch on the next blank page.

“I am the Collector!” the akuma cried. “My book of inspiration has been taken—I will collect a new one!”

Captain’s eyes widened as he recognized his father’s voice. “He’s not Hawkmoth,” he muttered.

“What was that?” Honeybee asked.

“Uh—it’s Gabriel Agreste,” Captain replied, dodging an attack and landing beside his partner. “That’s the akuma.”

“Got it,” she replied. “What’s our plan?”

Captain’s gaze darted around his bedroom as he quickly strung together an idea. “Fill up his notebook. If he has no more pages, maybe he’ll have to surrender. Throw everything you can at him!”

As the Collector approached, the duo threw books, DVDs, CDs, whatever they could grab at him. He barely flinched as he caught them all in his book and stalked towards Honeybee. “You’re powerless without your weapon, aren’t you?”

He raised his book, and as he lowered it to capture Honeybee, Captain Turtle dove forward, calling for his Shellter. The magical barrier blocked the book as Captain moved an arm around Honeybee, protectively holding her against him.

“Th-thank you,” she murmured, cheeks pink beneath her mask.

He didn’t respond, his eyes glaring at the Collector. The akuma smirked and lifted the book to try again, but Captain was faster, darting out from the shield and grabbing the book out from his hands. He ripped it in half, releasing the akuma before purifying it.

“Cap?” Honeybee asked as the green light washed over them, fixing all the damage. “Are roo—are you all rigt?”

He nodded, watching his father transform back to normal. “I got it from here, Bee.”

She frowned. “Okay…call me if you need me.”

As she jumped away, Gabriel glanced at his transformed son. “What’s going on?”

“You were akumatized,” Captain explained. “Is everything all right, uh, sir?”

“I lost some items that are extremely important to me,” Gabriel said. “But that’s of no interest to a superhero such as yourself, hm?”

“I can help you look for them?” he offered.

Gabriel shook his head. “No, there’s no need to concern yourself. Now—do you know where my son is hiding?”

“I—uh—I think he’s in the garden,” Captain lied. Once his father had left the room, he dropped his transformation and sighed before going to get some food for Wayzz.

“An interesting turn of events,” the kwami remarked.

“It’s good,” Adrien said with a grin. “It means he _can’t_ be Hawkmoth.” His face fell as he added, “But it also means I have no idea what he’s doing with Mom.”

“Perhaps finding Hawkmoth will give you the answer,” Wayzz said. “It seems like your best course of action is to stay and do what the Guardian said.”

“I guess,” Adrien mumbled, as a knock came at his door. Wayzz quickly flew away as he called, “Yeah?”

Nathalie opened the door, the look on her face as stern as ever. “Your father would like a word with you.”

**

“I’m very disappointed in you,” Gabriel said, not lifting his head from his computer to look at his son. “Some very important memories of your mother were taken from me, and only you and Nathalie had access to where they were kept.”

Adrien bit his tongue so he wouldn’t talk. That man had _no right_ to speak about memories of his mother.

“Effective immediately, you will not be returning to school,” Gabriel continued. “Your lessons will continue with your tutors until these items are returned to me. That is all.”

“Yes, Father,” Adrien replied, the taste of blood in his mouth from how hard he’d clenched his teeth. He turned and walked out of the office, looking ever the picture of the dutiful son.

He headed to his room before transforming and jumping out the window.

**

Marinette was doing homework when she heard the thump on her roof. She headed up the ladder to find Captain Turtle there, leaning against the railing and smiling at her—though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I just—I wanted to let you know I’m okay,” he said, reaching to scratch behind his neck sheepishly. “I kind of ran out on you the other day.”

She smiled. “Well, thanks. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Also, I wanted to talk to you,” he said. “I, uh—wouldyoubemygirlfriend?”

She blinked, not sure if she heard him right. “Your _girlfriend_?”

“I know I said it wasn’t a good idea before,” he said, “and, it still isn’t, but—I really do love you, Marinette. And I’ll make _sure_ nothing happens to you. I just—if you don’t want to—I can’t lose you.”

She stepped closer to him and rested her hand on his cheek. “I know it’s risky,” she said softly, “but I love you. But—why the change of heart?”

He put his hand over hers, gently lowering it as he entwined his fingers with hers. “Let’s just say a lot of things are changing for me lately. This is at least a change I _want_. Can I kiss you, Princess?”

Her eyes fluttered closed as he leaned close to her. Their lips met as his hand gripped hers tighter, and for one perfect moment, all the worries and anxieties left them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: Gorizilla


	23. Gorizilla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does reflect on death and mortality a lot more than the original episode did. No death or graphic violence.

drien was used to sneaking out of his house, but this time the stakes felt even higher.

He didn’t have anywhere he wanted to go in particular, he just wanted to spend as little time at home as possible. Plus, he really wanted to see his girlfriend.

He loved calling her that.

As soon as he was out of the house and down the block a bit, he ducked into an alley to drop his transformation, going from Captain Turtle to Adrien again. If he was going to spend time with Marinette…he didn’t want to make Wayzz too tired.

He turned a corner and ran face-first into someone who also wasn’t looking where they were going.

As he rubbed his forehead, he glanced over to see who he’d hit…”Marinette?”

His girlfriend was sprawled on the ground across from him, and she was wearing a thin tank top. He didn’t _mean_ to look, but he was a teenage boy—so he noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra. _Why wasn’t she wearing a bra?_

“Ow,” she groaned, her pain chasing away the very inappropriate thoughts he was having. “Hi, Adrien.”

“Hi,” he replied, getting to his feet. He held out a hand to her to help her up. “I was hoping to run into you today, but not so literally.”

She screwed up her face in confusion. “You were hoping to see me?”

He mentally cursed himself as he realized he was wearing the wrong costume to flirt like that. “I-I mean, I was hoping to see friends. A-and you’re a friend.”

Marinette smiled brightly. “Well, I’d like to hang out, but I’m on my way to meet the girls at the pool. I’d invite you, but it’s a girls’ only thing, so…”

“That’s okay,” he replied, ignoring the pang in his chest. Of course it was okay for her to spend time with friends, even if the thought of her ignoring him was sending panic through him…she deserved her own life too. “I’ll probably track down Nino or just go grab some ice cream myself. As long as I’m not home.”

She frowned. “What’s wrong with being home?”

“Well—” 

A car drove by, and Adrien’s eyes widened as he recognized it. “That’s my bodyguard. I gotta go. See you around, Marinette!”

He dashed off towards the nearby park, but Marinette called, “Wait!” and followed him. Once the car had rounded the corner and was out of sight, Adrien thought fast and stepped into the large empty fountain, quickly ducking down so he couldn’t be seen.

He wasn’t expecting Marinette to lie down in the fountain beside him. She shivered as her bare arm pressed to the concrete, and let out a surprised squeak as she glanced down at herself.

“I forgot to get dressed!” she cried.

Adrien’s hand moved over her mouth to quiet her. He could feel her lips against his palm, and wanted _desperately_ to kiss her.

But instead, he dropped his hand and whispered, “Please don’t get me caught.”

“Tell me what’s going on,” she said, lowering her voice. “Are you not safe at home?”

“It’s complicated,” he replied. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Yes, I do,” she said fiercely. “I’m your friend. I’m going to worry.”

Her lips were pursed in an adorable pout, and he tried to keep his gaze on her face, not dipping down to where her arms crossed just under her chest.

“Father’s angry with me,” Adrien admitted. “Being home right now is…a lot of stress.”

Concern sparked in her eyes, quickly followed by determination. She pulled her phone from her pocket and typed rapidly before glancing at him again. “Hey. Do you want to go see a movie?”

**

The two arrived at a movie theater in ridiculous disguises—Marinette had put her swim goggles on and wrapped her towel around her head, while Adrien used a discarded biker helmet. They chose some cheesy comedy to watch and headed in together.

“You sure your friends won’t miss you?” Adrien asked for the umpteenth time.

Marinette shook her head. “I keep telling you, they understand. Girl time is important, but some things are _more_ important.”

He nodded as they found their seats. “You know, I’ve never been to a movie with a friend like this before.” He wanted it to be a date, but he also didn’t want to scare off his girlfriend.

“Really?” she asked. “Next time you’re free, we should arrange for everyone to come along. It’d be fun!”

“Yeah,” he agreed, watching her as she turned her attention to the screen. The theater darkened, and the light from the movie illuminated Marinette in a pale blue as her lips curved into a smile.

She was beautiful.

The movie didn’t play for more than a few minutes before there were screams from outside.

“Is that normal?” Adrien asked, already knowing the answer.

She frowned and shook her head. “I’m going to go check what’s going on.”

“No,” he said quickly. “You stay, I’ll go.” He stood from his seat before she could protest and walked out of the theater.

Through the glass doors of the lobby, he could see a large bluish ape thundering through the city. He ducked into a nearby restroom.

“Wayzz, shell on!”

**

Captain Turtle raced out of the theater to find the large ape was coming right to him. He threw his shield once the akuma was close, but it harmlessly bounced off the side of his head as he reached down to the crowd of people nearby, grabbing one of them.

Captain couldn’t see who the victim was, but he heard her scream. “Help! Captain Turtle!”

His body felt cold as he recognized _Marinette’s_ voice.

He rushed after the akuma, his pulse thudding in his ears. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, finally catching up with the monstrous ape as it started climbing a skyscraper.

“Let her go!” he demanded, throwing his shield at the ape again. This time, the large creature caught it, squeezing it tight in his other fist as his toes dug into the sides of the tower to keep his balance.

“Captain!” Marinette cried, relief evident in her voice.

“Don’t worry, Marinette,” he said, perching on the giant fist that held her. “I promise I’ll get you out of this. Do you trust me?”

“Of course,” she replied.

“As soon as you get a chance, _jump!_ ” He leapt towards the akuma’s face, his fingers extended like claws as he aimed for its large eye. The akuma responded by waving his fists, ultimately letting his grip on Marinette slacken so he could grab Captain instead.

Marinette was able to wriggle free, but she hesitated to move, looking at the dizzying fall below her. She took a deep breath, and _jumped_.

Free falling was a nightmare unlike any other. After the first few seconds passed, with the ground hurtling toward her and no sign of Captain Turtle rescuing her, she tried to call for her own transformation. Her secret identity wasn’t worth _dying_ for.

But her voice came out only as a hoarse squeak. She closed her eyes, saying a quick silent prayer for the first time in her life, and waited for the end.

What Marinette didn’t notice was Captain Turtle forcing his shield from the akuma’s other fist and diving off the building after her. He forced himself into a vertical position so he’d fall faster, reach her before she reached the ground.

He managed to grasp her arm, pulling her close to his body before calling “Shell-ter!”

The protective energy field formed around the two of them, slowing their descent as it floated to the ground like a bubble. He dropped the shield when they landed safely, his arms tight around Marinette.

“Are you all right?” he murmured.

“I—I think so,” she replied, letting out a sob she didn’t realize she’d been holding in. She leaned into him, burying her face against his shoulder.

“I have to go finish this,” he said softly. “But I’ll come see you later. I promise.”

She nodded. “Okay. Go be a hero.”

Captain pulled back, studying her face. He wanted to kiss her, prove to himself that she was there, she was okay, but he was aware of the crowd of people looking on, watching the fight, watching _him_.

So he just jumped back up to the rooftops, climbing the side of the skyscraper to reach the akuma again. He’d always liked the Gorilla, but this akumatized version of him almost _killed_ Marinette—and he couldn’t forgive that.

He threw his shield at the akuma’s face, causing the large ape to roar and wildly swing at him. He dodged nimbly, and the giant fist crashed into the building.

“Need some help?” a voice called as Honeybee’s trompo whizzed past him, pulling her up to the roof.

He nodded. “Whatever the akuma’s in, it’s in his fist. He hasn’t let it go this whole time.”

“So we need to make him open his hand?” she asked. “I think I can do that.”

She jumped higher, landing right behind the large ape’s head, and started throwing out her trompo, letting it hover just in his field of vision before pulling it back again, repeating the action to make his eyes dart around and follow the toy.

The ape started to grasp for the trompo, but Honeybee was too quick with it, pulling it just out of his reach. She aimed her throws nearer and nearer to his closed fist, trying to lure him into opening that hand.

Her plan worked. He grabbed at the trompo and let go of the small black phone in his hand. Captain Turtle used the distraction to throw his shield, breaking the phone and catching the akuma.

“Miracle Turtle!” he cried, and as the wave slowly rebuilt the city, he saw Honeybee leaping away from the battle.

Captain Turtle returned to the bottom of the building, looking around for Marinette. She wasn’t around, and he figured that was the smart thing to do—he didn’t want her to be in any more danger. Still, the selfish part of him wanted to see her.

His bracelet beeped, and he fled the scene to find a safe spot to release his transformation.

**

Sneaking back into his house was mercifully easy. He went through the window and dropped his transformation, heading to the minifridge to find a snack for Wayzz.

“Do you want to visit Marinette tonight?” the kwami asked as he ate.

Adrien nodded. “I need to know she’s okay. I mean, if I hadn’t been there…”

“You were there,” Wayzz replied. “She’s safe.”

Adrien just nodded again, his mind distant. “Just…tell me when you’re ready to transform again.”

**

Captain Turtle landed on Marinette’s balcony, not surprised to find her already there, a mug of hot cocoa in her hands as she sat.

He didn’t know what to say, what he _could_ say, so he just hugged her tightly, reminding himself that she was there. She was okay.

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck, letting out a gasped sob.

“You’re safe,” he murmured. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“I was so scared,” she admitted. “I thought…I thought you wouldn’t…”

He pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. “Marinette,” he said, tone serious. “I will _never_ let you get hurt. As long as I’m alive, I promise you’re safe.”

She didn’t respond with words, but with a light press of her lips against the corner of his mouth.

“Can I stay with you for a while?” he asked.

She nodded. “There’s more cocoa in the thermos over there. I thought you’d be stopping by.”

He grinned as he reached for the thermos and took a seat beside her. “Have I mentioned I’ve got the most amazing girlfriend in the world?”

“Mm, I could stand to hear it a little more,” she said with a smile. “As long as you don’t mind me going on and on about how amazing and heroic my boyfriend is.”

He stayed with her, talking, laughing, occasionally kissing, until she fell asleep. He brought her into her room, tucking her into bed before returning to the mansion.

He felt better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Sandboy


	24. Sandboy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a briefly implied attempt of sexual assault in this chapter.

“Adrien, I have a request I must ask of you.”

Adrien pushed aside his homework to glance at the little kwami. “What is it?”

“I need to leave your side tonight,” Wayzz said. “It is a special day for Nooroo—similar to a birthday. And that means his aura will be much stronger. I may be able to find him, which means finding Hawkmoth.”

“Which means you’ll know if it’s my father or not,” Adrien replied. “What if there’s an akuma?”

“I will be back as soon as I can, but…this may be worth the risk,” Wayzz said. “I leave it up to you, young Master.”

“Of course you can go,” he said. “The sooner we know, the better. I trust you.”

The kwami’s eyes widened just a fraction before he smiled. “Thank you.”

**

Not too far away, Pollen was anxiously flying around Marinette’s room as the girl tried to sleep. Finally, she sat up, exasperated. “Pollen. I love you but I _can’t_ sleep with you buzzing around like that.”

“I’m so sorry, my Queen,” she replied, settling on Marinette’s lap. “It’s just—it is Nooroo’s 3500th cycle, and Wayzz wants my help to find him.”

“So, go,” Marinette said, confused. “If you’re needed, you can just go.”

Pollen smiled. “Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to leave your side without your express permission.”

She smiled. “You should’ve just asked. Pollen, you are allowed to leave tonight to do whatever your thing is. Please just let me sleep.”

“Thank you!” Pollen cried before phasing out through the roof.

Marinette finally slept, until a thump on her balcony woke her. She sat up, bleary-eyed, as Captain Turtle let himself in.

“Hey, Marinette,” he said, smiling a bit too widely. “Just wanted to drop in and let you know—I don’t want to bother with you anymore.”

“What?” she asked, tired and confused.

“You’re nothing compared to a hero like me,” he said with a laugh. “How could you think I’d ever love _you_? You’re just the sidekick.”

“How—what do you—you’re not making sense,” she replied, forcing herself to breathe.

“It’s simple, Marinette,” he said, suddenly leaning too close. “You’re not good enough.”

“G-get away from me,” she said, trying to keep her tone even as she reached for her comb, ready to fix it in her hair and transform. But as she closed her hand around it, she remembered—Pollen was gone.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep this up any longer,” ‘Captain Turtle’ said, his face leering as he glanced over her pajama-clad body. “Would’ve been nice to get some before I never saw you again. Then again, I suppose there’s no time like the present…”

“You’re not real,” she said firmly, but the weight of his body on her mattress as he moved closer to her was very real.

He was way too close, and Marinette didn’t think twice about pulling back her fist and socking him in the jaw. He reeled back, giving her enough room to scramble out of her bed and head downstairs.

She had to find Pollen.

**

Wayzz flitted through the Agreste mansion, following the pull of Nooroo’s aura. He phased straight through walls and ceilings, heading for where Nooroo was active.

He met Pollen, and simply gave his fellow kwami a nod as they followed together.

“Where are we?” Pollen asked, glancing around. “This doesn’t look like a normal home.”

“I’ve never been to this part,” Wayzz replied. They headed through another ceiling and ended up inside a large domed room with a massive window on the wall, white butterflies flitting about.

A man stood with his back to them, wearing a purple suit, a purple butterfly glowing over his face.

“No,” Pollen whispered, looking like she might cry. “He’s transformed.”

“We must get back to our holders,” Wayzz replied. “Now!”

**

“Adrien, wake up!”

Adrien stirred from his sleep and blinked at Wayzz. “What did you find out?”

“Hawkmoth is transformed,” the kwami replied. “That means there must be an akuma loose. Hurry, you must transform!”

“Wayzz, shell on!”

Captain Turtle leapt out the window to find the streets of Paris in chaos. People were running from monsters of all kinds, screaming in terror.

He glanced up and saw one calm face, an akuma floating on a pillow. He charged towards the villain, dodging attacks as he went, but the akuma managed to outrace him and fly away.

Captain perched on a rooftop, scanning the area for any sign of the akuma, when Honeybee landed next to him.

“Hawkmoth’s got a kid,” he said. “He’s riding on a pillow, that’s probably where the akuma is. Not sure what his power is yet.”

“He makes your nightmares come true,” she replied, unusually quiet.

Captain glanced at her. “Did he get you?”

She nodded. “It’s okay. I know it’s not real.”

He wanted to say something else, but a flash of movement caught his eye. “There he is!”

The two raced towards the akuma, but as it saw them, it threw a handful of sand. Honeybee swiftly dodged, but Captain Turtle coughed as it caught him in the face.

He reached out for the akuma, but stopped short as he heard a scream cutting through the night sky. He glanced towards the sound to see a familiar girl freefalling from hundreds of feet in the air.

“ _Marinette!_ ” he cried, abandoning the fight to race towards her, to make sure he caught her and she would be okay and _she had to be okay—_

“Cap!” Honeybee called, darting in his path. “It’s not real! She’s not—we get rid of the akuma, everything goes back to normal, remember?”

“Save me, Captain Turtle!” Marinette called, her hair flying around her face as she hurtled towards the ground.

He pushed past Honeybee, rushing towards the falling girl.

The heroine rolled her eyes and turned towards the akuma, rushing towards him. She held out her trompo as she leapt from a rooftop, catching the pointed end on the pillow and ripping it. A black butterfly floated out.

As Captain reached the falling Marinette, she disappeared, vanishing into nothingness before his eyes. He turned around to see a black butterfly flying, and threw his shield at it to put everything back to normal.

“Are you okay?” Honeybee asked, approaching him. “Looked like that shook you up pretty bad.”

“I’ll be fine,” he replied tersely. “I just—I need to go home.”

“Good night,” she said softly as he raced off.

**

“We must see Master Fu in the morning,” Wayzz said as soon as Adrien dropped his transformation. “I did not confirm the identity of Hawkmoth, but—he is in your home, young Master. I am sorry.”

“But I’m supposed to stay here tonight?” Adrien asked. “Knowing that Hawkmoth is here—and probably my father?”

Wayzz frowned, but nodded. “Master Fu has a plan, but he told me it will not be ready until tomorrow morning. I will wake you at the first sign of trouble, Adrien, I promise.”

He sighed. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“I wish you did.” Wayzz settled onto Adrien’s shoulder, gently patting his cheek. “I truly wish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: Sapotis


	25. Sapotis

The rest of Adrien’s night went smoothly, and he was up as soon as the sun rose to sneak out of his room and visit Master Fu.

He knocked on the door of the massage parlor, and was greeted by—himself.

His doppelganger’s eyes widened. “Oh, it’s you!” he cried, using Adrien’s voice. “Come in!”

Adrien entered warily, as his double called for Master Fu. The old man entered the room, his eyes sparkling with mirth and a new accessory pinned to his chest, a peacock-shaped brooch.

“I see you’ve met Adrien,” he said. “He’s the solution to get you out of your house without your father noticing.”

“I have…many questions,” Adrien (the original) said, accepting a mug of tea his double pressed into his hands.

“This is the Miraculous of the Peacock,” Fu replied, gesturing to the pin he wore. “It grants the user the power to create creatures from emotions. Using this, I was able to harness Duusu’s power to create this copy of you.”

“I’m here to protect you!” Adrien Two said cheerfully. “And that means taking care of your duties for you so you can focus on being a superhero!”

“If you still wish to not stay at your home, then you are welcome here,” Fu said. “Take him to the mansion and pack a bag of essentials, then come right back.”

“Does—does that mean I can keep going to school?” Adrien asked, hope blooming in his chest. “And see my friends?”

“I would like to give you some more guidance on using your Miraculous, but I suppose that need not take up _all_ your time,” Fu replied, smiling at him. “Go get your things, we’ll get you settled in before school starts.”

**

Adrien’s day at school went _amazingly_ well. Without the knowledge that he’d have to return to his gilded cage, he felt much freer and more able to just be himself around his friends.

He didn’t act all that different, but the knowledge that he _could_ was a weight lifted.

After school, he was free to spend time with Nino for once, which was _fantastic_. They went to an arcade and just…hung out. No goal, no pressure. It was the best afternoon he’d had.

He’d had a photoshoot scheduled, but he swung by quickly, a hat pulled low over his face, to check in on his double—Adrien Two was doing a great job, and actually seemed happier being there than Adrien himself would have.

Then he headed back to Master Fu’s and started working with him on going over the pages of the grimoire they’d taken from his father. There was a lot to learn—history of the Miraculous, spells, potions, and so on.

He was especially interested in seeing the other Miraculous jewels. Master Fu briefly explained the uses of each of them, and Adrien couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to wield those powers—except destruction, he figured he had enough of _that_ in his life.

The study session was interrupted by a clamor from outside. Master Fu peeked out the window and sighed.

“Duty calls?” Adrien asked, standing and stretching.

“It appears so.”

“Wayzz, shell on!”

**

Captain Turtle raced out into the streets of Paris to find Honeybee already there, surrounded by a swarm of red imp-like creatures running havoc. The heroine was dutifully grabbing hats off of any of them she could reach, ripping them in half and making the creatures disappear.

“How’d you know how to do that?” he asked, ripping the hats off a few more creatures.

“I’ve been out here twenty minutes already,” she replied, sounding tired. “Trial and error. I think we’ll need to get to the originals, but they copy every time they eat something.”

The two rounded up as many of the monsters as they could, ripping and destroying hats right and left, but soon found themselves overwhelmed.

“We need to get them all in one place or something,” Honeybee complained as she destroyed another three.

“What are they going after?” Captain asked.

She shrugged. “Seems like general mayhem. It’s two little kids who got akumatized.”

“You were there?”

“N-no,” Honeybee replied quickly. “I ran into their older sister. Uh, Alya, she said her name was Alya.”

From what he knew of Alya, she’d do _anything_ for her family. “I’ve got an idea,” he said suddenly. “Hold them off, I’ll be back!”

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Trust me!”

**

“Master,” Adrien called when he re-entered Master Fu’s home, “we need help with this one. Where’s the box?”

Master Fu quickly revealed the box from within the antique record player. “Choose wisely.”

Adrien’s fingers closed over a fox tail pendant. “I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

“Make sure to bring the miraculous back when the akuma is defeated,” Master Fu said. “I am trusting you, Adrien.”

**

Captain Turtle rejoined the fight, wading through the crowd of little akumatized imps to find one Alya Cesaire, trying in vain to plead with the akumas as if they were still her sisters.

“Alya!” Captain called, pushing through the crowd to get to her. “I need your help.”

She blinked. “Of course! What can I do?”

He held out a small ornate box to her. “This is the Miraculous of the Fox. Use it to help us in today’s fight, and then return it to me. Got it?”

Her eyes grew wide as she smiled. “Absolutely. Oh my god, I can’t wait to—oh, huh, I shouldn’t tell anyone, should I?”

“Secret identities should always be secret,” he replied with a sly grin. “Honeybee and I don’t even know each other’s names.”

“Got it,” Alya said. She opened the box and marveled at the bright light that emerged from it, forming into a fox-like kwami.

“Hi!” the kwami said brightly. “I’m Trixx!”

“Hi,” Alya said with a grin. “I’m guessing you’re the source of the superhero powers?”

“Ooh, a smart one,” Trixx said. “Just put on the necklace and say Trixx, Let’s Pounce!”

**

Honeybee was _overwhelmed_ by the akumas. They climbed over her, pulling her down to the ground, reaching for the comb in her hair. Suddenly, they were knocked away by a flute, of all things, and a hand reached out to Honeybee to help her stand.

“Hey,” a foxlike heroine said with a grin. “I’m Rena Rouge. Cap just recruited me.”

“I…didn’t know he could recruit anyone,” Honeybee replied. “But hey, happy to have you on the team! Let me know if you need anything!”

“How about Cap’s number?” Rena asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh,” she replied, trying to think of a good excuse, when Captain Turtle approached them and saved her from the awkward.

“Sorry, Rena, I’m flattered, but I’ve got a girlfriend,” he said. “Now let’s get these…did anyone catch their name?”

“Sapotis,” Rena said. “They’re a Creole legend, used to use stories of them to tease my sisters.”

Honeybee blinked. “Wait, _Alya_?”

“Uh…no?”

“Hey,” Captain interrupted them. “Not a great time to try to figure out identities, okay? Let’s focus.”

“We should get up high, where they can’t reach us,” Honeybee said, jumping up to the top of a nearby building. The other two followed her before huddling close to discuss a plan.

“So, we need to get all the Sapotis in one place,” Captain Turtle said. “Then we can just get all the hats, find the originals, purify them. Rena, can you make the illusion of something that’ll attract them all?”

“Sure!” she replied. “Uh, how?”

“Your flute,” he said. “Play it while thinking about what you want to create. Don’t worry, it’s partly instinct.”

She lifted the flute to her lips and played a few notes before crying out “Mirage!” and swinging the instrument like a bat. Instantly, the area around them became an amusement park, complete with bright lights and music coming from the variety of rides.

The Sapotis rushed to the “entry”, the alley between buildings, and the heroes were able to jump down and methodically tear apart their hats until—“Got ‘em!”

“Ella! Etta!” Rena cried as the two little girls sat dazed in the street. “I-I mean, young girls! Who should be getting home to their loving and very worried sister!”

“Bee, can you take them?” Captain asked.

Honeybee nodded, gently scooping the little girls into her arms before jumping away.

“Miracle Turtle!” he cried, tossing up the shield to put everything back to normal. As he caught it again, he turned to Rena. “And as for you.”

She gave him a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m not cut out for the secret identity stuff. Trixx, let’s rest.”

She took off the necklace and handed it to Captain.

“Thank you,” he replied. “And trust me, I know how hard it is to fight against your family. You did really well, though.”

“Don’t suppose I’ll be able to be a hero again, though?” she asked, still smiling though her disappointment was clear in her voice.

“I can’t say,” he replied honestly. “Just…maybe don’t go spreading around that you _were_ Rena. For safety.”

“Well, duh,” she replied. “I’m not an idiot.” Abruptly, she stepped closer to him and threw her arms around him in a friendly hug. “Thanks, Cap. Even if it never happens again, being a superhero is everything I ever wanted to be.”

He didn’t know how to respond at first, but he returned the hug, gripping her maybe a little too tightly. With all that had happened in the last few days—he _really_ needed that hug.

“Um, Cap?” she asked awkwardly. “This is getting weird, and I need to get to my sisters. I mean, Marinette should be there so she can look after them for a bit, but…”

“Oh, right, sorry,” he said, backing away. “Uh, say hi to Marinette for me, okay?”

Alya raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Suuure, I’ll say hi to _Marinette_ for you.”

Captain turned away before she could see his blush, and jumped away, off into the night.

**

Captain Turtle rested on a rooftop across from the Agreste household, looking into his old bedroom. Adrien Two was in there, diligently writing an essay with Chinese books spread out before him.

Could he really just leave his double in there, stuck at home all the time with no friends, no kwami, no hope? He had to leave because _he_ wasn’t strong enough to handle it, so how could he expect a copy of him to feel better about being there?

Adrien Two glanced up from his desk and met Captain’s eyes through the window. He smiled and waved.

Captain just nodded at him before leaping away, heading back to Master Fu’s. It had been a _long_ night, and he still had school in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Zombizou


	26. Zombizou

Adrien arrived to school to find _everyone_ was there early. Even Marinette, a rare feat for the perpetually sleepy (but adorable) girl.

“What’s going on?” he asked Chloe as he approached his locker.

She scoffed. “It’s Miss Bustier’s birthday, or whatever. Everyone got her a gift.”

He blinked. “Is that…a thing we’re supposed to do?”

“Ugh, _thank you_ ,” Chloe replied. “Everyone’s acting like I’m weird for forgetting! Like, how am I supposed to remember a stupid teacher’s birthday?”

The bell rang, and the students all shuffled off to the science classroom. Adrien lagged behind.

“Want to help me make her a card?” he offered Chloe.

“You mean, you do all the work, and I sign it?” she asked with a wry grin.

He chuckled. “Sure, Chlo. Just because we didn’t know it’s her birthday doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate her, right?”

Chloe’s smile softened. “Yeah. You’re right. But—I’m only doing this because people expected me to do something! I don’t care or anything.”

Adrien just patted his friend’s shoulder before heading off to class.

**

Later, when the students arrived to Bustier’s class, they deposited their gifts in a pile on her desk. Adrien placed the card signed by himself and Chloe on top of the pile.

“Look, the rich kids just got her a card,” he heard Kim loudly whisper to Alix. “Guess all that money can’t buy manners.”

Chloe rolled her eyes and raised her hand in a rather rude gesture, but Adrien shrank into his seat. He did appreciate their teacher—it was _great_ having an adult in his life who _believed_ in him—but he just hadn’t known.

Nino patted his shoulder. “Ignore him, dude. He’s trying to get a rise out of Chloe more than anything.”

“Still, I should have known and gotten her something like everyone else did.”

“No, don’t worry about that. Miss Bustier’s an awesome teacher, she won’t care.”

Their teacher entered the classroom, and a delighted smile crossed her face as she saw the pile of presents on her desk. “Oh, thank you, everyone!”

She started sorting through the gifts, setting most of them aside to be opened later. She flipped open Adrien and Chloe’s card and smiled as she read it.

But then she lifted her head and said in an even, serious tone, “Chloe.”

“ _What_?” Chloe snapped in reply.

“You need to calm down, right now,” Miss Bustier said, her tone never wavering. “Someone, please, get a jar or something to catch it.”

It was then that the class noticed the black butterfly hanging around Chloe’s head. Of course no one stayed calm, the students screaming and dodging from the akuma. Adrien took advantage of the chaos to slip out of the room.

“Wayzz, shell on!”

**

Marinette watched in horror as the black butterfly settled into the card Miss Bustier was holding. Their teacher had tried to shoo away the akuma with the card, but it chose to infect her instead.

Miss Bustier was covered with dark purple bubbles, which faded to show her looking like she was taller, covered in small rocks, and her hair was piled into a bun on top of her head, which pulsated with streaks of what looked like magma.

She grinned widely. “I am Groundbuster! And you, my darlings, need to be _separated_ from each other!” She raised a hand and the floor erupted, magma rising from the ground and quickly cooling to create new walls in the classroom, separating groups of students. Marinette found herself alone, rock walls on all sides of her.

“Pollen, buzz on!” she called quietly, but even with her enhanced strength as Honeybee, she couldn’t break through the rock. She banged her fists uselessly on the wall, calling for help, calling for her Captain.

**

Captain Turtle protected himself with his Shellter when rocks started to pop up around him. He pushed his way into the classroom to see the damage, and was faced with a maze of walls.

His bracelet beeped as he heard a faint voice crying out for him. He pushed the protective bubble through the walls, letting them crumble down, until he found himself face to face with Honeybee.

She smiled widely. “Cap! You can break the walls!”

“Not easily,” he replied. “I’ve only got—four minutes now.”

“Groundbuster couldn’t have gotten far,” Honeybee said. “I’m sure you’ve got time. She was—um—that way!”

Captain Turtle pushed through the rock walls in the direction Honeybee pointed, but soon they were outside the school building, still trapped within the rock maze. His bracelet beeped insistently.

“I need to recharge,” he said. “Can you get above the maze and find her?”

Honeybee nodded, swinging her trompo to propel her to the rooftops. Once she was out of sight, Captain Turtle leapt up to the roofs, running until he was well away from the rock maze. “Shell off.”

“Adrien,” Wayzz said solemnly, “we must return to the Master. You will not win if I can only aide you for five minutes at a time.”

“You’re right,” he agreed, climbing down a fire escape. “Let’s go talk to him.”

**

Master Fu stroked his beard as Adrien explained the situation to him. “I have been working on something…do you remember those potions we spoke of?”

“Yes,” Adrien replied. They’d talked about some power-up potions for the kwamis, Master Fu just needed to puzzle out a last few ingredients.

“I think I’ve got them,” he said. “And I have the perfect one for you.” He walked into another room, and returned holding a vial of a bright green potion.

Wayzz flew over, a curious expression on his face. “Oh! This is the enhancement potion, isn’t it?”

“If I have the ingredients right, it is,” Master Fu replied, holding up the vial. “No more than one drop.”

Wayzz opened his mouth for Master Fu to let exactly one drop of the potion fall. The kwami glowed for a moment before appearing again with his limbs lengthened and a sturdier shell on his back. “Mighty Wayzz!” he called triumphantly.

“When you transform now, you’ll be able to break through any wall without calling for your power,” Master Fu explained.

“What about Honeybee?” Adrien asked. “Shouldn’t I bring the potion to her?”

“She will not get the same enhanced powers as you. It would be unnecessary.”

Adrien frowned. “But she’s my partner. She deserves to at least know what these extra powers feel like. And I know she can help, no matter what.”

Master Fu frowned, but held out the vial. “Remember. One drop.”

**

Captain Turtle found Honeybee on a rooftop, where she’d been gathering people who were trapped in Groundbuster’s walls. They huddled hidden behind billboards, while Captain and Honeybee talked on the edge of the roof.

“You look different,” she said, studying him. “Your shield changed.”

“Yeah,” he replied. His shield was bigger, with matching guards on his arms and legs, giving him more protective power to break through the walls. “Turns out we can power up. Here.”

He handed her the small vial, which she took with a curious stare.

“Just drink one drop of it,” he said. “It’ll help.”

She nodded, and carefully drank a single drop before handing the vial back to him. A yellow light suddenly surrounded her, and when it receded, she didn’t look any different—until two large insect wings unfolded from her back.

Honeybee gasped as the wings began to flutter, lifting her up. “This is—this is so cool!”

“So that’s what it does,” Captain Turtle mused. “That’s—do you think you can carry me?”

She flew back down and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace before rising again, carrying him with her. “Where to, Cap?”

“Drop me on top of Groundbuster,” he directed. “I’ll break through to her and get the akuma. Do you know where it is?”

“In the card she’s carrying,” Honeybee replied. Her eyes were focused on the skies ahead of her, and she seemed to be smiling despite herself. He couldn’t blame her—she was literally _flying_.

And suddenly, his brain having the _worst_ timing, he was _forcibly_ reminded that his partner was a pretty girl in a skintight suit who could carry him like he weighed nothing.

He shook his head softly. He had a girlfriend, and he had a mission. And—he was falling. He focused on the akuma beneath him as Honeybee flew away.

He crossed his arms in front of him, letting the enhanced armor break through the wall he landed on. Groundbuster whirled to face him with a cry, but before she could raise any more walls, he darted across the open space to pluck the card from a pocket in her costume. He tore it in half and released the akuma, letting the black butterfly lazily float away.

“Miracle Turtle!” he cried as he caught the bug and purified the area, making the walls of molten rock disappear.

Honeybee landed on the ground beside him. “Good job, Cap.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Couldn’t have done it without you. I’m going to bring Mi—uh, the victim back to where she works.”

“I’m going to fly around till Pollen gets tired,” she admitted with a sheepish grin.

“Probably not what you _should_ be doing,” Captain replied, raising an eyebrow. “But, I can’t blame you. I’d do the same if I could fly.”

Her wings flapped and she shot straight up into the air with a cheer before doing a loop in the sky and soaring off.

**

Once Miss Bustier was safely back at the school, Captain found an unused closet to transform back into Adrien.

He headed back to class to find his teacher taking roll call. She nodded at him and checked off his name.

“Marinette?” Miss Bustier called. “Is Marinette here?”

Adrien felt something clench in his stomach. His worry must have been clear on his face, because Miss Bustier just smiled at him.

“I’m sure she’s just gone home in all the excitement. I’ll call her parents later.”

**

As soon as school let out, Adrien transformed again and raced to Marinette’s house. He figured Miss Bustier was right, nothing was wrong, but he _had_ to know.

She was standing on her balcony, and he could finally relax when he saw her. He jumped to land beside her.

“Cap!” she greeted with a smile. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to check on you,” he said, suddenly realizing that Captain Turtle had no reason to know she wasn’t at school. “Your teacher was akumatized, right?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “It’s okay, you fixed everything!” She leaned towards him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

Captain responded by wrapping his arms around her, pulling her tight against him in a hug. “I was worried about you,” he murmured. “Had to make sure you’re safe.”

“I am,” she said. “I’m always safe when you’re around, aren’t I?”

He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the honey-sweet scent she always seemed to have. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you too,” she replied, pressing herself into his touch. “My Captain…”

“My Marinette,” he murmured.

If he had his way, he would never let her go, but the moment had to come to an end. He said goodbye with a soft press of his lips to hers, before leaping off the balcony and running into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Riposte


	27. Riposte

Adrien still kept up with _some_ of the activities his father had scheduled for him. Fencing, for example. He genuinely _liked_ that one, and figured it was good to keep his skills sharp between akumas.

Also, Adrien 2 deserved a break. Master Fu claimed the double didn’t have free will and didn’t mind doing everything Adrien was _supposed_ to do, but that just didn’t sit right with him. _Everyone_ deserved some free time.

He was surprised and delighted when he arrived at fencing practice to see a bunch of new potential students—including _Marinette_.

“H-hey,” he greeted her with a smile. “I didn’t know you liked fencing.”

She shrugged. “I figured with all the akumas, it might be good to know _some_ sort of fighting. If this doesn’t pan out, I’m going to learn kickboxing.”

“Well, good luck,” he said. “D’Argencourt can be kind of picky about who he lets in, but I’ll try to make you look good.” He gave her a sly wink before pulling down his mask.

But as they prepared to face off, the doors to the courtyard burst open. A figure in red entered, carrying their own epee.

“I demand to be allowed into this fencing academy,” they announced.

Monsieur D’Argencourt scoffed. “Demand? All right— _if_ you can beat my best student. Adrien!”

Adrien had to tear his gaze away from the practicing Marinette to pay attention. He walked over to the teacher’s side.

“Now,” D’Argencourt said. “Pret—allez!”

Adrien focused on his match with the newcomer, dodging their quick attacks and doing his best to find an opening in their tight defenses. The match quickly left the courtyard, the two fighters heading up the stairs as the crowd around them followed.

His opponent landed a touch on him _just_ at the same time he made contact. They turned to their audience—Marinette was the only one who appeared to have seen their final blows.

“Who won?” the stranger demanded.

“I—I don’t know!” she cried. “Um, I think—Adrien?”

“Ah- _ha!_ ” D’Argencourt cried, catching up with the fencers. “And that means _you_ , insolent newcomer, are _not_ welcome in this fencing academy!”

The fencer groaned in defeat, and threw her epee and mask to the ground, revealing a rather pretty girl with stark Asian features and a look of annoyance on her face. She stalked out of the courtyard.

Marinette grabbed the items the girl left behind and ran after her. “Wait! You forgot these!”

The girl stopped outside, just before getting into a car. She turned and said, with acid in her voice, “ _You—_ ”

Her face suddenly softened as the words died on her lips. Marinette couldn’t help but notice that as her eyes widened, they were a really pretty deep brown. And the girl was— _so pretty_. “Y-your stuff,” she said, holding out the mask and the epee.

“Thank you,” the girl replied, taking them from her hands. “I am—sorry that I was angry.”

“I might have been wrong,” Marinette explained sheepishly. “I’m new to fencing. I’m sure Adrien would give you another match, he’s a nice guy like that.”

The girl’s lips curled up into a smile, but her eyes stayed hard. “I appreciate that. But I don’t _get_ second chances.” She tossed her equipment into the car before abruptly turning and getting in herself.

Marinette sighed. She wished she could help the girl, but she wasn’t sure there was anything she could do. Poor, pretty girl.

She gritted her teeth and reminded herself that she had a boyfriend that she loved very much—and that would be arriving _soon_ , as she saw a black butterfly flitting towards the girl’s car.

**

Adrien was in the locker room, just finished changing after fencing, when his locker was sliced in half.

He glanced up to see a girl clad in all silver standing on the banks of lockers, her arm turned into a sword that was pointed directly at him. “A rematch!” she cried. “Right now— _to the death!_ ”

A purple butterfly glowed over her face, but she just shook her head and scoffed in response to whatever Hawkmoth had said.

Adrien grabbed his epee, immediately shifting into a guarding stance. All he had to do was hold off the akuma long enough to find a place to hide, then he could transform and purify her.

Honeybee’s trompo suddenly whizzed past his face, the string catching the akuma’s sword and drawing her attention. “Come on, fight me instead!” she cried. “Want to prove you’re the best? Ignore him, fight a superhero!”

Adrien grinned, proud of his partner for stepping up, but also—had she _ever_ held a sword before? She picked up a nearby discarded blade and held it upside down, basically answering his question.

He tightened his grip on his epee and ran towards the two, darting in front of Honeybee to block a particularly nasty blow from the akuma. He hissed in pain as his ankle twisted in a very wrong way, but he managed to save his partner.

Next thing he knew, he was in Honeybee’s arms as she swung away from the akuma, a determined look on her face. “I need to find you somewhere to hide,” she muttered. “She’s targeting you.”

She brought him to the roof of a tall building and set him down in the scaffolding beneath a billboard.

“Are you going to be okay?” Adrien asked.

She flashed him a smile. “I’ll be fine. Cap should be here soon.” With that, she jumped away, leaving Adrien alone.

As soon as he could, he transformed into Captain Turtle, but found that his ankle still _hurt_ when he put weight on it. Not as bad, but—he’d have to be careful. He ran with a bit of a limp after Honeybee, heading back to the school to catch up with the akuma.

He found Honeybee and the akuma on the rooftops nearby. The akuma was easily overpowering her, forcing her back to where she’d left him. He threw his shield at her sword, knocking it aside but not breaking it.

She turned her attentions towards him, but with only a sword to block her blows, he was forced to retreat, trying not to limp as he accidentally led her back to “Adrien’s” hiding spot.

The akuma let out a loud cry of frustration and slashed her sword, crumbling the billboard and scaffolding beneath. Captain was wide-eyed, suddenly thankful he wasn’t there anymore, but Honeybee—she let out a strangled gasp, her hands covering her mouth as she looked on, horrified.

“Where’s Adrien?” the akuma cried, leveling her sword back at Honeybee.

Before Captain Turtle could do anything in response, Honeybee shrieked, “He’s _dead!_ You just _killed_ him!” She threw her trompo, not even aiming, just in anger, and added in a sour voice, “Good luck getting your rematch _now_.”

The akuma stood there, a blank look on her face as the purple butterfly mask appeared on her face again. She suddenly _screamed_ in pain, holding her normal hand to her head as she fell to her knees. Then, suddenly, black bubbles covered her body and transformed her back to the girl from the fencing academy, a black butterfly flapping away.

Captain threw his shield to catch the akuma and purify it before setting everything back to normal. The billboard and scaffolding beneath were rebuilt.

“I’ll go see if Adrien’s okay,” he said quickly. “Can you take care of her?”

She nodded, moving to kneel at the girl’s side.

Captain returned to the billboard before dropping his transformation and walking out in the open on the roof. There was a door that would lead down to the street, so he figured it would be better if Honeybee saw him as Adrien before he left. It would probably make her feel better.

Soon, Honeybee came by, carrying the girl in her arms, holding her close. She gently set down the girl and said, “You two need to talk, and I need to get moving. Adrien, I’m glad you’re okay—where did Cap go?”

“He had to run off,” Adrien said quickly. “His, uh, bracelet was beeping.”

She nodded. “Will you two make it home okay?”

“We should be fine,” the girl said. “Thank you, Honeybee.”

The heroine’s cheeks dusted pink before she nodded and threw her trompo to swing away.

“Adrien,” the girl said. “I apologize. I was…not myself when I hurt you.”

He gave her a smile. “It’s all right. And I’m open to a rematch sometime, if you want. You’re a great fencer.”

“Thank you,” she said, her expression softening, though she didn’t exactly smile. She held out her hand abruptly. “My name is Kagami. I’m new to the city. I’m sorry for not introducing myself earlier.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Kagami. So, what do you think of Paris?”

“It’s a beautiful city,” she replied. “Especially the heroes. Do you know much about Honeybee?”

“Um, a little? Not more than anyone else.”

“Is she seeing anyone?”

Adrien couldn’t help but smile at the girl, looking so hopeful. “I don’t think so, but I don’t know if she’s interested. Heroes aren’t really supposed to date civilians, right?” he said, the pot speaking to the kettle.

The girl snorted derisively. “Maybe not in Paris. I hope I can see her around again…”

“You probably will,” he said. “But in the meantime, mind if I walk you home? I know what it’s like to be the new kid, and now that you’re not trying to kill me—want to be friends?”

“I would like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Anansi


	28. Anansi

Nino and Alya were perfect together.

They were dancing in front of Alya’s TV, playing a video game as they racked up a high score moving in perfect unison.

Adrien sat on the couch beside Marinette, watching their friends play the game. “They’re so in sync,” he mused.

“Yeah,” Marinette agreed. “It’s cute, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, cute,” he replied distantly, before realizing he was doing the very cliché thing and looking at _her_. He blushed as he turned his attention back to his friends.

“It’s nice your father let you come here,” Marinette commented. “It’s cool that we get to hang out now.”

He gave her an uncertain grin. His father believed he was at Chinese lessons, and Master Fu hadn’t really wanted him to come either—he believed all Adrien’s free time was best spent studying the Miraculous.

At that moment, Nora, Alya’s older sister, entered the room. “What are you dweebs doing?”

“Waiting until it gets dark so we can go see the fireworks from the Ferris wheel,” Alya replied, not breaking stride in her dance steps. “I told you this, Nor.”

“Uh, no way,” Nora replied, crossing her arms over her chest, showing just how _ripped_ she was. “With all those akumas? Al, you’re not going out after dark unless I come with.”

“We don’t need a _chaperone_ ,” Alya argued. “Besides, I’ve got my man with me, and my friends. We’ll be fine.”

Nora snorted. “Fine. You think this flyweight’s going to protect you? Fly-boy, c’mere.”

Nino looked awkwardly between the sisters, not moving from his spot.

“Oh _no_ ,” Alya said. “I know that look. You are _not_ arm wrestling Nino.”

“Yeah, I’d rather not,” Nino added, a pointed look at Nora’s muscular arms. “It’s all right. I don’t need to be strong to be cool.”

“I’ll wrestle you,” Adrien found himself saying. All eyes in the room turned to him, and he gave an awkward smile. “I mean, by your logic, it’s okay to go out if _I_ beat you, right?”

Nora narrowed her eyes and scoffed. “Sure, rich boy.” She took a seat at the small kitchen table, planting her elbow. “Let’s go.”

Adrien sat across from her, mirroring her arm’s stance. “I’ve never actually arm wrestled before—”

“Go!” Nora cried, and started pushing his arm. He pushed back, the two of them mostly evenly matched until he managed to get Nora’s hand to hit the table. She laughed as she let go of his hand. “Damn, rich boy, you’re tougher than you look. Fine, go, but Al, you better text me if there’s an akuma, right?”

“Will do,” Alya promised.

“And just text once an hour to be sure.”

“Nor, you’re not Mom.”

“Yeah, well, Mom and Dad are busy, so it’s my job to look after you and the girls,” Nora said. “So text me, all right?”

Alya rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Fine.”

**

The four sat in a car of the Ferris wheel. Nino had an arm draped around Alya’s shoulders, and Adrien _wished_ he could do the same with Marinette. But at least she was sitting beside him, and her knee brushed against his as she leaned out to look at the darkening sky.

“I think we’re gonna be done with the ride before the fireworks start,” she mentioned.

“So, ride again?” Adrien suggested. “There’s not a very long line.”

“Oh, crap!” Alya said suddenly, reaching for her phone. “It’s been an hour, and I forgot to text Nora. She’s going to freak.”

“Text her now?” Nino suggested.

The car suddenly swayed as something very large hit the Ferris wheel.

“That better not be Nora,” Alya grumbled. “She _would_ get akumatized by being overprotective.”

The Ferris wheel shook, and suddenly, they were freefalling. Marinette _screamed_ , and Adrien didn’t think before wrapping his arms around her, ready to take the blow when they landed.

The fall was cut short as four large hands held onto the car, a multi-eyed akuma peering inside. Adrien slammed hard against the seat as Marinette landed hard against him.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded, pulling away from him. “Y-yeah, I just—I don’t like falling.”

“I see you in there!” the akuma called. It used a _fifth_ hand to pull open the door. “I’m keeping my eyes on you now, Al!”

“Great,” Alya groaned. “Where’s Captain Turtle when you need him?”

“He’ll be here,” Adrien said. “I’m sure he will.”

Suddenly, the car lurched as the akuma _threw_ them, launching them out of the car and hurtling towards a large spiderweb strung up between the legs of a large stone arch. Alya, Nino, and Adrien all landed safely, but Marinette _missed_.

She could vaguely hear her friends screaming her name as she was hurled past them, falling towards an alley. She quickly called for her transformation, rolling through her landing to come out unharmed.

“Okay,” she breathed, talking to herself. “Okay. I’m fine.”

She wished she had those wings back. But at the very least, she could save her friends. Honeybee threw her trompo and started heading back towards them.

The akuma was focused on Alya, and didn’t notice Honeybee’s trompo cutting through webs and releasing Nino and Adrien.

“Thanks, Dudette,” Nino said, clearly distracted by Alya’s plight.

Adrien grabbed Honeybee’s arm, and she was caught off guard by how _distraught_ he looked. “Did you see Marinette? The akuma threw her—is she okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Honeybee responded, her face flushed. Since when did Adrien care _this_ much? “I, um, caught her. Safe she’s—I mean, she’s safe.”

Relief flooded his face as he smiled, and something _twinged_ in Honeybee’s chest. “Thank you. I—I’m going to look for her.”

She cringed as he ran off, knowing there was no way he’d actually _find_ her. But at least he was running _away_ from the fight, leaving her to confront the akuma. “Hey! Spidey!”

**

As Adrien ran away from the akuma, he glanced back and winced as he saw Honeybee get snagged in the web. “We’re going to need some help on this one, Wayzz,” he murmured.

“Agreed,” Wayzz replied from his pocket. “But quickly!”

Master Fu glanced up in surprise when Adrien entered the massage parlor and headed straight for the Miracle Box. “Adrien? What is the matter?”

“Akuma got Bee,” he replied quickly, opening up the box and selecting a miraculous. He didn’t even _think_ , just grabbed what felt right for the moment. “I need to save her, fix this, and then make sure Marinette’s okay.”

“You cannot rush things just for one girl!” Fu said angrily, standing up. “She will be all right—you cannot give out the jewels like—like party favors!”

“She’s not just one girl!” Adrien cried. “She’s—I’ve got to go save Paris. Again. I’ll talk to you later.”

He slammed the box closed, grabbing one of the travel boxes for the miraculous before rushing out the door.

“He will be angry with you,” Wayzz warned.

“I don’t care,” Adrien replied. “Wayzz, shell on!”

**

Captain Turtle found Nino hiding behind a building, watching the akuma, who had Honeybee and Alya trapped in her web, strung up in the middle of an arch. He dropped down in front of his friend and held out a small wooden box.

“Nino Lahiffe, this is the Miraculous of the Black Cat. It will grant you the power of Destruction. You are to use it for the greater good, and then return it to me. Do you accept?”

Nino nodded eagerly, taking the box. He opened it, and a bright light revealed a kwami looking like a black cat. It blinked, looking between Nino and Captain Turtle, before saying simply, “Oh no. I don’t work with the turtle.”

“You do this time,” Captain replied. “Nino, meet—uh…”

“Plagg. Kid, just say claws out, let’s get this over with.”

Nino nodded, sliding the ring from the box onto his fingers. “Plagg, claws out!”

A flash of green light washed over him, leaving him clad in a black leather suit, sharp claws on the toes of his shoes and the tips of his fingers. The suit wasn’t too tight, left his body enough room to move easily. A leather jacket edged with green piping rested over his shoulders, and his face was covered with what appeared to be black paint smeared across his brow, contouring his face to hide its shape and covering his eyes—which were now an acid green. On top of his head rested cat ear headphones to complete the look.

“Nice,” Captain Turtle said with a grin. “What’s your name?”

The new hero considered as he looked over himself before finally responding, “Caracal.”

Captain nodded. “So, Caracal, here’s the plan.”

**

The akuma had many eyes, but could only face one direction at a time. Caracal leapt on top of the arch while Captain Turtle scaled the web, inserting himself between the trapped girls.

“Shh,” he said, a wink towards Honeybee. “We’ve got this. Shellter!”

The akuma heard him and raced towards the web, ready to wrap up his shield. But then—“ _Cataclysm!_ ”

The arch shuddered and crumbled, debris falling down around the protective bubble and onto the ground, crushing the akuma in the process. When the dust cleared, Captain Turtle was able to drop the shield and grab the akuma’s boxing glove, easily ripping it.

“Miracle Turtle!”

As everything went back to normal, Captain Turtle glanced towards Honeybee and Alya. “Are you two all right?”

“Yeah,” Honeybee said with a half smile. “Sorry I couldn’t be much more help.”

“Well, lucky we had Caracal to help us out.”

“Caracal, huh?” Alya asked, eyeing the new hero. “Hey, newbie, got time for an interview?”

“Uh, don’t think I do,” Caracal replied with a shrug. “Gotta regroup with the Captain and all.”

“Shame,” she said with a shrug. “I should probably make sure Nora knows what’s going on anyways.”

“I guess you’ll want to handle him,” Honeybee said. “I’ll see you later, Cap.”

“Hey, make sure that girl you saved earlier is safe,” Captain told her, holding onto her arm so she’d have to listen.

She nodded. “Marinette, right? I promise, she’ll be fine.”

Once the area was cleared, Caracal approached Captain Turtle. “Claws in. This was great, dude. Call on me anytime.”

“I will,” Captain said with a smile, holding out his hand for the ring. “You’re a cool guy, Nino.”

**

“I am disappointed in you,” Master Fu said when Adrien returned with the miraculous. “Not only did you ignore me, you took the Cat, one of the very miraculouses Hawkmoth is looking for!”

“It was the best choice,” Adrien argued. “I needed to save Marinette.”

The old man sighed. “I understand that love makes you hasty. But you _must_ learn to move past your feelings. Miraculous holders are required to keep a level head and a calm mind in times of crisis.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t always promise that,” he snapped.

Master Fu frowned. “If that’s how you feel—I may have to reevaluate your capability of wielding a miraculous.”

“Master, no!” Wayzz cried. “Forgive him. _You_ made many rash decisions as a child as well!”

Panic welled inside Adrien—he’d have to return to the mansion, live with the villain, and have _no_ escape or defense anymore. He wouldn’t— _couldn’t_ —go back to that.

“I’m sorry, Master Fu,” he said, his tone calm, even as he hung his head contritely. “I’ll do better.”

The old man sighed. “I have tolerated you sneaking out to see her, but if you continue to lose your focus…”

Adrien swallowed thickly and repeated, “I’ll do better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next episode: Style Queen


	29. Queen's Battle - Part 1

Marinette had put all her free time into redoing the hat for _Gabriel_ ’s design contest. This time, she made sure to use a fake feather—and this time, she wasn’t going to drop it!

She still only managed to finish it in the last hour possible, running to the fashion show venue so she could hand off the hat to Adrien before he went on the runway. She only took a couple of seconds to gawk at the celebrities who were there to see the runway. And see her design. And _judge_ her design.

She knocked on the door of Adrien’s trailer, and he opened it a second later, smiling widely at her. “Hey, Marinette!”

“H-hi,” she replied, taken aback by his appearance. He wore slim cut black pants tailored perfectly to him, with a dark green shirt beneath. His hair was gelled into the perfect amount of messy, and—he looked kind of like Captain Turtle.

She wondered if his embrace would feel just as similar.

“I fixed the hat!” she said quickly, holding it up. “Fake feather this time.”

“Thanks!” he said, his hands covering hers as he took the hat. “It looks really good, Marinette, I hope I can do it justice.”

“ _You’re_ the professional here, I should be apologizing for you having to wear it,” she replied, rolling her eyes but smiling. “Good luck out there.”

“Thank you,” he replied, smiling softly at her and _why_ was she suddenly noticing how _cute_ he was? She had her Captain, she had to remind herself.

“I better get going and find my seat. I’ll see you later!”

**

Adrien was nervous about this fashion show. He hadn’t actually seen his father in weeks, letting Adrien 2 handle all the photoshoots.

But this time he was modeling Marinette’s hat, so he wanted to be there. If she was going to watch, he wanted to make sure that she saw _him_ on the runway.

He stood backstage, waiting for his cue, when he heard his father’s assistant arguing with a familiar-sounding woman. Was that— _Chloe’s mom?_

“Ridiculous!” she cried. “Utterly ridiculous!”

Yeah, that was definitely Mme Bourgeois.

The lights dimmed, the music started, and Adrien headed out to the runway.

Then the world went black.

**

Marinette gasped as she saw her friend turn into a glittering, golden statue. The crowd started screaming and panicking, everyone running, and she took the panic as a cover to hide and transform into Honeybee.

An akuma was storming the runway, looking like a golden idol, turning people into statues of gold glitter. Honeybee leapt out in front of her. “Hey! Goldie!”

The akuma turned towards her and looked over her outfit before giving a smile. “You look like you _belong_ here, dear. You can stay, for now. Carla!” She snapped her fingers, and _Chloe_ peeked out of a hiding spot.

“Y-yeah, mom?” she asked.

“Take me to M. Agreste,” the akuma replied. “He needs to _pay_ for this slight.”

“What, turning his son into glitter isn’t vengeance enough?” Honeybee snapped, her feet shifting as her arms raised, preparing to fight.

The akuma just laughed. “His golden boy can never sass or defy him. The perfect child. Really, I did Gabriel a _favor_.”

She swung her scepter and disappeared in a puff of glitter, along with Chloe and Adrien.

Honeybee ran out of the venue, leaping up to the roofs to try and follow the glitter, but it was quickly gone. Instead, she felt a small tap on her shoulder. “Miss Honeybee?”

She turned to see a kwami floating there.

“My name is Wayzz,” he said, “and you must come with me. Captain Turtle is…unavailable at the moment.”

“Is he okay?” she asked, feeling a cold chill down her spine.

“He will be,” the kwami said. “Come, _now_.”

**

Wayzz led Honeybee across the city, bringing her to a small massage parlor. “Drop your transformation,” he instructed.

Honeybee nodded, turning back into Marinette in a side alley. Pollen flew out of the comb and tackled Wayzz in a hug before the turtle kwami phased inside the building.

Marinette waited awkwardly outside the front door until it opened, revealing an old Chinese man. “Come in, Honeybee,” he said, ushering her inside.

“Who are you?” she asked.

He didn’t respond as he fiddled with a victrola, pressing hidden buttons to bring out a box that had been hidden inside. “Give me your miraculous.”

“ _What?_ No!”

The old man sighed. “I am the Guardian of the Miraculous. I am the one who decides who may wield them. Right now, you have need of a _different_ miraculous, and it is _dangerous_ to wield more than one.”

She shook her head. “I’m keeping this. I’m not letting Pollen out of my sight. I don’t _know_ you, how do I know you’re not working with Hawkmoth? I’ll take any help you can give, but—I’m not trusting you.”

Surprisingly, the old man smiled. “That is quite wise, Marinette. Take these, and give them to Captain Turtle when you are finished.” He held out two small stud earrings to her. “Do not transform with both at once, but if you feel you are strong enough to hold both—I have no choice but to trust you.”

Marinette nodded and quickly fixed the earrings into her earlobes. A red light flashed, revealing another kwami. “Hello!”

“Bug mouse!” Marinette cried, scrambling away from it. She took a deep breath. “Sorry. Sorry. Who are you?”

“My name is Tikki!” the kwami replied. “And it’s _wonderful_ to finally meet you.”

**

Marinette ran through the streets until she overheard that there was an akuma attack at the Eiffel Tower. Of _course_.

She ducked into an alley and cried out, “Tikki, spots on!”

The rush of magic washing over her was familiar as she transformed. Her new costume, a simple red and black spotted spandex, fit on her like a second skin. Her hair hung in its usual twin tails beside her face, now adorned with red ribbons.

She made sure the bee comb was securely fixed in her hair before throwing out the ladybug-themed yo-yo she carried and swinging across the Paris skyline. She landed on the tower and as she made her way through the beams, a sudden misstep made her fall, landing hard on a cross beam.

The comb fell from her head and bounced harmlessly on the stairs below.

Marinette—no, _Ladybug_ now—muttered a curse under her breath before jumping across the tower’s structure to find the golden akuma guarding the glittering statue of Adrien, holding a flower. The akuma didn’t notice her yet, so she called on her new power. “Lucky charm!”

A tube of glue fell into her hand.

“She’s made of glitter,” Ladybug murmured to herself. She saw a large flag dangling nearby, and pulled it from its stand, quickly smearing the glue across the fabric. “Okay, Goldie, you’re going down.”

She leapt from her hiding space, swiping the flag at the unsuspecting akuma, quickly reducing her body to sparkling glitter stuck to the flag.

“Where’s the akuma?” she asked, standing there with the whole of the victim on the flag.

“Uh, new hero girl?”

Ladybug turned around to see Chloe there, cowering behind the statue of Adrien. She pointed to the flower.

“Um,” said Ladybug, “thank you.” She rushed over and snapped the flower’s stem, releasing the akuma. As the black butterfly floated away, she caught it in the yo-yo to purify it. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

**

Adrien came to on the Eiffel Tower. An unfamiliar heroine stood in front of him, and Chloe beside her.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Akuma,” the heroine said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I handled it.”

“Who _are_ you?”

“Call me Ladybug,” she said. Her earrings beeped and she nodded at the two teens before swinging away from the tower.

“Is she really a hero?” Adrien asked Chloe. “Not another akuma?”

Chloe nodded. “She brought you back. She _has_ to be a hero—she’s _amazing_.”

“Well, we should probably get back to the fashion show,” Adrien said. “Let’s head down.”

As the two walked down the stairs, leaving behind a dazed Audrey Bourgeois, Chloe stopped and picked something up. “Oh, this is nice,” she said, cradling a gold comb with a honeybee on it in her hands.

A light flashed from the comb, and the bee kwami appeared in front of them. Her eyes widened. “…which one of you is my holder?”

“That’s me,” Chloe replied. “What _are_ you?”

“That’s not yours, Chloe,” Adrien warned. “Someone’s probably looking for it.”

He recognized a kwami when he saw one. And this one— _what happened to Honeybee?_

“Normally I’m supposed to be kept secret,” Pollen said. “But there are two of you here…”

“We’re going to be late,” Adrien said, grabbing onto Chloe’s arm to tug her along. She just stared wide-eyed at the kwami, listening to its explanation of powers, as she stumbled along with Adrien.

“You go on ahead,” Chloe finally said, wrenching her arm away from him. “I’m going to…find the owner of this.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow, but let her go.


End file.
